When Naomi returned at WWE Royal Rumble, she showed off her natural hair and new gear. Usually rocking straight hair, Naomi displayed her curly and natural fro. The change was designed to show the audience the real Naomi, someone she is proud to be.
Speaking to Women's Wrestling Weekly, Naomi discussed her decision to go with her natural hair.
"It was very calculated. Being where I am and at this point in my career and life, I'm going to do it the way I want to do it. I'm gonna be who I am and you can either take it or leave it. When I first started, I was told 'we want you to look like this' and I was shown a picture of Naomi Campbell, who I look nothing like. At the time, I was so eager not to give anyone reason to not book me or not be on TV, I felt like I had to conform. And I did, for many years. I also came in during the Diva era and what we looked like was so much of our job at the time. That was focused on more than our actual talent. When I came back, I knew it was going to be shocking to people, but I'm proud of who I am and the way I look. I'm proud of my heritage and proud to be black. That's something I'm not going to be apologetic for. I wanted to do that to express myself and show what I represent and what I stand for. There's nothing wrong with it, now leave me alone," she joked.
Elsewhere during the interview, Naomi revealed she was pulled aside early during her WWE career and given a "talking to" over how she carried herself. You can find her full comments by clicking here.
Naomi defeated Carmella on WWE SmackDown, setting her up for a SmackDown Women's Championship bout at WWE Super ShowDown.
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