Halloween is the best time of year to channel an icon. This year, for example, Beyoncé shape-shifted into the funk rockstar Betty Davis and Coco Jones referenced Donna Summer album covers. And, for content creator Uche Moxam, a recreation of Diana Ross’s 1969 “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair” cover was an immediate yes.
“I grew up listening to the greats: Whitney, Diana, Donna Summer, the list goes on,” Moxam tells ESSENCE. “Not only were they the powerhouses of their decade, they provided this representation of beautiful, strong, talented Black women that were rarely represented in the media at the time.”
For a long time, Moxam waited for the right moment to morph into Diana Ross’s mountain of curls (as if let loose from a set of extra-large curlers) from the G.I.T. on Broadway television special. However, the most iconic part of the look was also the most difficult to execute. “The hair was going to be the biggest challenge,” she says, locking in with hair stylist Alana Schober.
“Alana was able to place each hair bundle individually and so artistically to give the effect that was portrayed in Diana’s video,” she says. “I wanted the hair to be textured with dimension, instead of just using photoshop or a black backboard.” Using 65-inch cardboard as the foundation,more packs of hair than she could count interwoven with Moxam’s actual hair, Schober turned her costume into a masterpiece.
“I opt for a natural look [for everyday beauty] but on Halloween it’s really the time to be someone else,” she says.
However, Uche Moxam’s makeup deviated from Ross’s neutral lips with a glazed mouth and blush-sculpted cheeks, turning into an icon of her own right. “I’ve been wanting to bring it to life for a while, and this year was the year.”
