It’s fair to say that Pride 2020 wasn’t quite what any of us were expecting. So how will 2021 differ, given that there are still various restrictions in place around the world in terms of mass gatherings and social distancing?
Well, sadly, some of the largest events have already been cancelled. Brighton and Hove’s Pride Community Parade, Pride Village Party and Pride Festival have been cancelled, as has the Pride parade in Edinburgh and many other events up and down the country. We’re seeing this mirrored around the globe, with Los Angeles being one of the latest cities to announce the cancellation of its 2021 parade.
However, some Pride events will still go ahead this year, albeit with numerous restrictions in place in order to keep everyone as safe as possible. Not only that, but Gay Pride Shop reports that many towns in the UK and Ireland are holding their first-ever Pride events, in 2021.
Despite all of the upheaval, Pride 2021 will still be an excellent opportunity for self-expression, and one of the best ways to achieve that is through the way we look. As such, we’ve rounded up some on-trend hairstyles below, to give you some inspiration for this year’s Pride. But first, let’s recap a little and look back to 2020.
Taking hairstyles virtual
While there was plenty of innovation going on in terms of how to make the celebrations virtual at fairly short notice in 2020, it certainly wasn’t the same as the in-person events we all know and love.
One of the saddest things about not being able to celebrate Pride in person in 2020, to my mind, was missing out on the vast array of exciting outfits and hairstyles that are on show every year. People put so much planning and thought into their styles, and that overwhelming mix of colours and creations is a part of Pride that simply cannot be recreated virtually, although the attempts to deliver an online atmosphere last year were certainly valiant.
What we did see last year was a slew of social media images of people who were celebrating by being loud and proud at home. From outfits to hairstyles, community members still made the effort and shared their fabulousness online.
Pride hairstyles for 2021
One of the 2020s strongest looks was rainbow hair. We saw huge rainbow plaits, flowing rainbow curls, the sharpest of sharp rainbow fades and some stunning hidden rainbows that were revealed tucked away beneath otherwise rather workaday dos.
Rainbow hair is likely to be one of the top styles for 2021 as well – and likely beyond. It’s versatile, highly individual and, quite simply, a lot of fun. It’s also pretty time consuming to create, so if you’re planning to give your hair a rainbow overhaul this year, start thinking ahead and practising in advance if you’re colouring it at home. If you’re heading to the salon for your rainbow creation, be sure you have a plan B in case of Covid-related closures!
We saw plenty of mermaid hairstyles on Instagram for Pride 2020 and this is another bold look that we’re likely to see a lot of again in 2021. Mermaid hair can vary in colour. It involves the infusion of two or more pastels (green and blue, for example, or pink and purple), typically on long, wavy hair. The bright, head-turning colours are perfect for Pride, so expect to see plenty of mermaid tresses this year, whether digitally or in person.
Another hot style for Pride 2021 is painted hearts on super-short hair. From single-colour hearts to rainbow stripes to glitter, these look simply fabulous. They can be a little tricky to do yourself, so rope in some support if you can – and if local restrictions allow – or else get practising right away. Of course, the practising is all part of the fun, really. What better excuse for a little hair-related self-indulgence?
While Pride hair is often about brighter than a bright colour, we’ve also seen some stunning silver dos in recent years, and this is another of 2021’s hot styles. Silver hair looks fabulous whether it’s long, short or anywhere in between, making it a delightfully versatile look.
Don’t forget those accessories!
Just as Pride hairstyles are known for their exciting colours, so too are they known for their fascinating accessories. Rainbows, hearts, clips, tiaras, bows… there’s plenty of fun to be had when it comes to choosing precisely what you need to perfect your look.
According to All Things Hair, 75.9% of us choose hair accessories to express our identity, and what better time to do so than for Pride? Even if you’ll be parading digitally this year, there’s fun to be had in finding and choosing the ideal hair accessories, so let your imagination run wild when it comes to creating the perfect do.
Aftercare for hair
Once the festivities are over, it’s time for some post-Pride nurturing. Deep conditioning hair masks are the ideal treat for your tresses and can help to repair some of the damage that colouring can create. Whether you lighten or darken your hair for Pride, you run the risk of drying it out and leading to breakage, particularly when you add in blow-drying, straightening, curling or any other type of heat-styling.
As such, make sure that caring for your hair is on your post-Pride priority list. Given that 46.9% of us change our hair to avoid being judged in day-to-day life (as the All Things Hair team also discovered with a recent survey), it’s likely that you’ll be washing out those rainbow colours. But saying goodbye to your Pride hair doesn’t mean you can’t still look fabulous, so grab a pre-shampoo treatment and a nourishing hair mask to give your hair plenty of softness and shine, ready for everyday life to resume.