Picture this: You’re cruising the natural haircare aisle at Target, marveling at the selection, when you run into ... Serena Williams?
“Beauty wise, I go to Target, and they literally have everything,” Williams recently told Yahoo Lifestyle. “Anything that says ‘curls,’ ‘manage your curls,’ ‘proud of your curls,’ I’m drawn to it.”
Girl, we know the feeling; Target has made a major investment in black-owned and targeted beauty and haircare in recent years—ironic since they also recently settled a hefty lawsuit alleging it used criminal background checks to discriminate against black and brown job applicants.
But as we know, black beauty and haircare is big business, with natural haircare specifically driving billions of dollars in sales—a fact retailers can’t afford to ignore. Target’s been at the forefront of catching the wave, carrying over 100 multiethnic brands and bringing several independent brands straight to their shelves rather than requiring they have the backing of big conglomerates. As a result, natural haircare products have become much more easily accessible to average consumers and celebrity shoppers alike.
And while Williams may consistently switch it up with wigs, blowouts, braids, extensions, curls and more, she tells Yahoo that underneath it all, her hair is “totally natural,” making Target a natural one-stop shop for the constantly on-the-go mom.
“I feel like there’s so much out there for natural hair and curly hair and black hair, which I love,” she says. “I’ve literally tried everything — from Miss Jessie’s to Curls. I have a whole cabinet full of products. I think every black girl does for hair.”
And proving that representation in advertising is crucial, Williams admits that she bases her buying on seeing models who look like her, telling Yahoo:
“If the ads use black women or women like me, then I think, ‘OK, I’m going to try this product. But if they have ads with anyone who doesn’t look like me, I usually don’t try it.”
Like a lot of us, Williams also swears by coconut oil, saying it “changed [her] life,” and using it to remove makeup, moisturize and as a co-wash combined with shea butter and other ingredients. “I even make my own, mixing essential oils with a lot of other stuff. I’m a scientist in my bedroom,” she tells Yahoo.
So, can we count on running into Williams in the haircare (or grocery) section of our local Target anytime soon? One can only hope. But when and if we do, is it too much to also hope she’ll be shopping with her buddy Beyoncé?