Fashion dictionary
Lemonade braids
or pink lemonade braids [lem-uh-neyd breydz]
What does Lemonade braids mean?
Lemonade braids are a type of braids used to style black women’s hair, named for the ones Beyoncé wore in her 2016 visual album, Lemonade.
Where does Lemonade braids come from?
One of the most influential persons in culture in 2016 was Beyoncé. With Lemonade, she not only had a top-selling and socially-incisive album, but she also sported a hairstyle in the video for “Formation.” These came to be called Lemonade braids, and women would ask for them in hair salons for years to come.
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Designed by Kim Kimble, they are very long cornrows with a deep side part that makes them cascade over one shoulder. Queen Bey wore hears in a blonde color, though imitators style theirs in various colors.
After the release of Lemonade, YouTube hair gurus provided tutorials on how women can achieve Beyoncé’s braids. In 2018, a hairstylist on Cosmopolitan noted: “Clients come into my shop all of the time asking for ‘Monica’ braids, which they also refer to as ‘Lemonade’ braids ever since Beyoncé wore a similar style in her ‘Lemonade’ video.”
Examples of Lemonade braids
Who uses Lemonade braids?
Lemonade braids are a go-to term for the Beyoncé-inspired hairstyle on popular fashion websites, YouTube videos, and in hair salons. Due to culture and hair texture, Lemonade braids are mostly worn by black women.
Lemonade braids 😍 pic.twitter.com/eIUKclo5KR
— HairByRose (@phenomenalhairr) August 16, 2018
Rapper Nicki Minaj wore Lemonade braids, toned pink, in the music video for her 2018 song with Migos and Cardi B, “MotorSport.” In part because they were done by the same stylist that did Beyonce’s, the braids have been dubbed pink lemonade braids.
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of Lemonade braids like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of Lemonade braids that will help our users expand their word mastery.