Baker, who is now 38 years old, started having gray hair when she was 16.
Kadeja Jackson Baker didn't shy away from donning gray hair on her wedding day and the internet loved it. Several weeks after the wedding, videos that Baker's make-up artist Tia Codrington put up on Instagram went viral. The Instagram video has more than 5.9 million views.
In the video, Baker is seen getting her make-up applied to her face while she has gray strands pin-curled up. Codrington captioned it, "I loved my bride's natural gray hair. She's had it since she was 16." People were in awe of how beautiful she looked and how amazing her gray hair is, reported Good Morning America.
"I initially didn't have any expectations when posting the videos other than to share her beauty through my eyes, but witnessing how she embraced and embodied the beauty of her hair was something I felt compelled to share," Codrington said. "It was amazing to know that she had options to change her hair color or try something different for that day, but chose to be herself and wear her natural hair color," she added.
Baker said that she wanted to look like herself on her wedding day. "I didn't want to look in the mirror on my wedding day and see a stranger," she told PEOPLE. "I just wanted to look like me."
Baker never expected such an overwhelming response for her looks. "It has taken me totally off guard," she said. "Because everybody is all, 'Oh, I'm so amazed by your style, I'm so amazed by your hair. You're so stunning.' And I'm like, 'What? Are they serious?' It's exciting, but it's very surprising."
Baker, who is now 38 years old, started having gray hair when she was 16. She went to the salon for 15 years for weekly touch-ups. But seven years ago, Baker stopped coloring her hair and she is proud of it. She said that multiple times a day, people stop to look at her and ask who her colorist is or what the name of the color on her hair is. "I started to embrace it," she said. "I felt more beautiful than I did before. I got tons of compliments."
Baker works as the regional manager for the Housing Department in Hollywood, Florida. Her hairstylist had suggested covering the gray for her big day but she and her groom refused.
Baker met her husband Derrick Baker, 39, when they were in the 9th grade. They were apparently best friends throughout high school and also attended Florida State University together. Halfway through their freshman year of college, he wanted to be in a relationship with her. "He's like, 'I want to be with you,'" she recalled, "I was like, 'I cannot do life without you.'"
Twenty years and two sons later, Derek proposed to Baker in 2021 on Mother's Day. "He's very accepting of who I am, he loves who I am," she said. "He's a wonderful father, an exceptional father. Just a strong man."
Talking about her look on the wedding day, Baker said, "I would describe it as a regal, classic, look. I wanted a timeless look." She wanted her hair to stand out. "It added that extra glamour," she said.
References:
https://people.com/style/florida-bride-embraces-gray-wedding-hair-photos-exclusive-interview/
Cover Image Source: Instagram/ mua_ttt_tia
