COSMOPOLITAN · 79“Kylieis
myhomie.
I loveher”The stories
behind the posts
FIRSTPOST
“Youknowwhenyou’re[first]onInstagram
andyoujustpostanything?Thatwasme
then– I thinkI wasin Malibu.”HILLARYCLINTON
“I wasata babyshower.I hadmether
oncebeforesosaidhelloandshesaid
sherememberedme– she’ssupernice.”WILLSMITH
“Thatwas2001,I wasfour.UncleWilly
[whoJordyn’ssound-engineerdad
workedwithin the’90s]andmyfather,
they’relikemytwodads.”MY MUM
“She’s the closest person in my life.
It means the world having a supportive
woman who is also a best friend. She’s
taught me to always have integrity.”message that you sent laughing at
someone could be the message that
pushes that person off the ledge.”
Throughout our chat, Woods is
open and thoughtful, taking her time
to articulate exactly how she feels,
even though she’s ready to put all
of this behind her and focus on her
career again: she’s got a range of
hair extensions with Easilocks, an
Eylure collaboration and an inclusive
sportswear company, Secndnture.
Woods’ instinctive business ethic
continues to drive her. Perhaps it’s
because, after her dad passed away
two years ago, she filled her life with
work and exercise became her therapy.
During that grieving period, she
lost weight, and faced questions over
whether she was still a body-positive
advocate. “I feel like being body
positive means wanting to be
the best version of yourself.
If you want to be skinny,
big, or whatever you want
to be, you have every right
to be that, as long as you’re
being good to your body.”
Her hair range is another
passion project, born from
her own experiences. “I’ve
been through such a [journey],
especially as a black girl,” says Woods.
“Growing up, there’s always stories of
getting your hair done, or your mum
brushing your hair, trying to tame it.”
She smiles at the memory. “The
neighbours would think I was killing
you,” laughs her mum as she looks on,
before telling me about the time when
a relative relaxed Woods’ hair without
her permission, leaving her fuming.
“I’ve grown to not have a tender head
at all and I enjoy getting my hair
braided now,” adds Woods, who begged
her dad to let her get her first weave.
Despite the labels that people place
on black women’s hair, defining what
constitutes “good” or “bad”, Woods
has created a brand and a space where
women feel able to express themselves,
weave or no weave. “Hair helps me
switch my identity. Bad hair... What is[that]? There is no such thing. It grows
out of your head. It’s a part of you.”
After a traumatic few months, the
future looks bright for Woods, but
how does it feel to be navigating all
of this – good and bad – without her
best friend Kylie by her side? There’s a
pause, and I can tell she’s apprehensive.
“I love her. That’s my homie. I hope
everything falls into place and that
we can all grow and build our
relationships with our family and God
and come back together one day and
be stronger and happier.” It’s been
illuminating for her to figure out who
she is and who she can trust. “A lot of
people can be around when things
are good, but you don’t know who’s
really around until things are bad.”
I ask what impression she hopes
people take away from this interview.
“It’s not about public
statements for me and it’s
unfortunate that something
so private had to happen
publicly...” she tails off,
before adding, “Let’s stick
together. The world is so
crazy. Our politics, our wars,
our this, that and the other,
the last thing we need is to
start going against each other about
things on social media. Let’s be better
humans and learn from our mistakes.”
She strikes me as someone
determined to look forwards, not
backwards. “I don’t know what’s next.
Knowing me, I might wake up one day
and be like, ‘I’m moving to Peru!’” As
we emerge from our quiet corner of
the hotel, a waiter recognises Woods
and tells her he is a huge fan. She and
her mum give him a quick squeeze. As
I’m poised to leave, she turns and softly
says, “I’ve had to grow up in front of
everyone’s eyes – between losing my
dad, this, relationships, whatever it is.
I’ve had to deal with so much, [but]
my life could be way worse.” She’s
got the rest of her life ahead of her,
and something tells me the world
will be watching intently to see
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