International Women’s Day Spotlight: Briana King
The skateboarding phenomenon and influencer is paving the way for PoC skaters, one pavement at a time.
Briana King is killing it. There’s no other way to describe the trajectory her career is taking at the moment. A millennial through and through, her multi-hyphenate flex is one of model, actress, influencer, and queer activist. She breezes through the day with carefree aplomb, her natural hair heralding her arrival and acting as an unofficial trademark. “I’m so grateful for my hair, it’s hard not to have a good relationship with it,” says the 27-year-old, who is also, fittingly, one of Bed Head by TIGI’s newest partners.
Briana King: My World, My Hair, My Rules
East LA native-turned-Australian ex-pat, the road to self-love also seems nothing but authentic for King, after a proverbial bump in the road with a travel visa brought her to settle—and skate—in New York City in 2017. The rest, as they say, is history, and she now has found herself renowned, having dipped her feet in everything from tech commercials to Teen Vogue to hosting all-girl skate clinics. We’re super stoked to go along for the ride as we put the spotlight on her for International Women’s Day.
Briana’s Board to Success
I grew up in Los Angeles, and I didn’t skateboard as a child because the majority of people in the sport were men. Skateboarding has always been a part of my life, but it wasn’t something I picked up till a few years ago—I was inspired by other women around me. When I started a few years back, there was a good number of women skateboarding; we stuck together and really didn’t focus on the men skating around us. We just focused on our own progression as a group of queer and women skateboarders.
It’s empowering being a person of color in the skateboarding community. My friends and I have inspired so many PoC skaters to finally get up and start skateboarding. As for me, I’m able to travel the world and roll into any skatepark, and almost every time know any PoC skateboarder there because we’re such a close-knit community.
Natural Woman
My signature look is “how much time do I have before we’re leaving,” ha! I don’t have one, actually, and I usually just keep everything, including my hair, natural, but I do use a spray. Bed Head by TIGI Get Twisted Anti-Frizz Finishing Spray is super lightweight and an easy product to have on the go while I’m out skating in the sun all day.
I’ve always been natural. I love my hair so much, even if it’s a bad hair day! I just throw a beanie on and I’m sure the little afro poof hanging out the back is going to look just as beautiful.
On this topic, we surveyed women and asked them how often do they wear their natural hair or their hair au naturale and the winner is: always.
What about you? How often do you let your hair take a break from styling tools?
Briana King’s Word to the Wise
I advise others to just give everything they want to do a try. We only have so much time to live, so make it count! —*As told to All Things Hair, edited for length and clarity.
