14 Black AF TV Show Characters That Are Our Forever Natural Hair Goals

Nola Darling in 'She’s Gotta Have It'

Each season of the short-lived Netflix original, we watched Nola Darling juggle her career, relationships, and life in general all while rocking the cutest braids, curly styles, and headwraps.

Denise Huxtable in 'The Cosby Show'

Known as the wild-child of the Huxtable household, Denise was always making bold choices in both fashion and hair. Her long, waist-length locs were the first time I could remember seeing dreadlocks on primetime television, and she wore it so well.

Zoey Johnson in 'Grown-ish'

Even before landing this spinoff show Grown-ish, Yara Shahidi's character Zoey Johnson had been showing us a plethora of new ways to style natural hair with side do's, wash-n-go's, and cute accessories on Black-ish.

Vanessa “Van” Keefer in 'Atlanta'

Zazie Beetz's Van is the super sarcastic and straight to the point on-again/off-again girlfriend and baby mama to Donald Glover's Earn who always drops Twitter-worthy quotes when she's on-screen. Aside from her wit, you always see Van either rocking a simple curly fro or jazzing her up her hair into a style almost as memorable as her infamous Drake line.

Moesha Mitchell in 'Moesha'

"Mo to the, E to the". Almost two decades later and the theme song for Moesha still rings in our heads. The other thing we can't forget is how Moesha set the standard for rocking braids on primetime television, and each episode she would find a new way to style them.

Anissa Pierce/Thunder in 'Black Lightning'

Sporting killer outfits and hairdo's, Thunder kicked butt as TV's first Black lesbian superhero in CW's hit show Black Lightning. Portrayed by actress Nafessa Williams, Thunder always made sure her edges were laid before and after fighting crime.

Winifred “Freddie” Brooks in 'A Different World'

The free-spirited, energetic and "woke" Freddie portrayed by Cree Summer was a fan favorite on A Different World. And her bouncy, golden coils were a part of her look. We loved when Freddie showed us how to still wear a bang with our natural curls. An icon!

Florida Evans in 'Good Times'

When discussing characters who proudly stepped onto the screen in all their natural glory, we can't leave out Esther Rolle's character of Florida Evans in Good Times. Her character's 4C TWA was gracing the screen weekly before natural hair became a trend.

Rainbow Johnson in 'Black-ish'

The fabulous Tracee Ellis Ross has been serving us big-body curls since her days as Joan Clayton on the incomparable show Girlfriends, and this has not changed since the actress took on the role of anesthesiologist Rainbow Johnson in the ABC series Black-ish.

Issa Dee in 'Insecure'

Issa Rae's stylist has had the hair game on lock since the onset of the show and it was no different during the most recent season of Insecure. We've seen the growth and development of Issa's natural hair from the short fro she sported in Season 1, to the high puffs and protective styles she debuted in Season 4. And with styling by Felicia Leatherwood, it's radiated black girl magic.

Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell in 'Sister, Sister'

Everyone's favorite fashionable Black twins from the 90s set the standard when it came to rocking big hair. Often seen accentuating their curls with hats and headbands, Tia and Tamera were hair goals for every thick-haired teen across America.

Beth Pearson in 'This Is Us'

Played by Susan Kelechi Watson, the matriarch of Randall Pearson's family leads with grace, lots of sass, and some of the best protective styles on TV, while also keeping her on-screen daughters in Black girl magic-worthy natural styles as well.

Maxine Shaw in 'Living Single'

Maxine Shaw was a badass lawyer who brought her signature dreadlock bob to the corporate world with some fierce suits to match. Throughout the series, Living Single actress Erika Alexander played with different styles and lengths of her natural look and we took notes along the way!

Josie McCoy in 'Riverdale'

Lead singer of the teen band Josie and the Pussycats, Josie is known to be seen rocking her natural hair in updos and mini-buns. And she never leaves the house without her iconic cat ears, which just elevates her curls to the next level.

Honorable Mention: Susie Carmichael - Rugrats

In the world of animation, Susie was showing young black girls everywhere how to rock their natural pigtails with the colorful ribbons at the end. When the spinoff Rugrats: All Grown Up aired, we got a glimpse of teenaged Susie still showing off her longer, natural tresses. Voiced by another entry on this list, Cree Summer, Susie was proof that representation matters, old and young.

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