Doja Cat Stuns with Natural Hair: Scarlet Deluxe Surprise

Doja Cat has returned to Instagram with a zoomed-in post of her natural hair announcing her upcoming single. However, she received backlash for the cover of the album.

The new single, titled “Masc,” will be featured on the deluxe edition of Scarlet. It will be the rapper’s first introduction to fans into the second era of her fourth studio album, which released last September. 

After posting the album cover, the rapper gave fans another inside look at her latest single: a snippet of the song accompanied by visuals. Another fellow up-and-coming rapper, Teezo Touchdown, was featured in the video. The pair sat across each other, singing, “We too grown for that s**t.”

The announcement was unexpected, but fans were mainly concerned about the album cover. She chose a close-up image of her natural 4C hair for the cover, causing outrage among fans in the comments. The “Paint The Town Red” singer took to Instagram Live to quickly slam negative comments surrounding her smaller, tighter natural blonde curls.

“I’m seeing a pattern. I’m seeing a consistent pattern in my comments section of people saying is my hair pubic hair, is it carpet or is it sheep’s wool,” she stated on Instagram Live.

The rapper also stated that people are comparing her 4C hair, known for having less shrinkage and less defined natural curls, “to sheep and pubes and carpet and popcorn and s**t like that.”

Comments from fans were one of the driving factors in the artist’s decision to deactivate her Instagram at the end of March. She cited how she was being “treated” as the reason. Now, with similar comments and attacks, another hiatus might be imminent. 

Over the last few years, there has been much commotion surrounding the stigma of wearing natural hair. With hair comes stereotypes, i.e., if you are blonde, you are considered “dumb,” brunettes are considered smart, and redheads have a fiery temper. However, when it comes to natural hair types among black women, is there an unnecessary divide being created? And is that divide developing on a larger scale, like social media causing harm to these women?

While natural hair has different care instructions due to the fragility of texture and growth patterns, it should not be the main target of hate for anyone. Natural hair does not come in a one-size-fits-all bubble; it ranges from wavy to kinky and is delicate to different hair styling, coloring, and heat.

Doja Cat urged fans to move forward and grow, hinting at the ignorance she has been facing on the platform. The rapper decided to shave her head in August 2022, showcasing her natural hair more frequently than the typical colorful wigs she usually wears.

Hopefully, fans will support the rapper’s decision to start her latest era, with “Masc” coming to all music streaming platforms on April 5. Until then, you can listen to her fourth album, Scarlet on all music streaming platforms.