The African country of Cameroon has a first lady as colorful and famous for her hairstyles as her husband is famous for his authoritarian rule over his country. Their visit to the United States in early August 2014 prompted all sorts of media attention to the first lady's hair. It seems her wigs offer a lighthearted diversion to all the bad news coming out of Africa recently with the Ebola crisis.
The First Lady is quite the colorful character. She always wears heels, towering over her husband. And she's famous for her wardrobe (full of Chanel and Dior) and for her hairstyles, which have earned their own name in Cameroon as the Chantal Biya, according to Wikipedia. She's pictured holding hands and sometimes giggling and whispering with other famous first ladies and there was that one time she was pictured with socialite Paris Hilton looking like her BFF.
My favorite Chantal Biya moment? New York Magazine put it best when it described that moment thusly: "She wore a giant cross-emblazoned, pink-and-white lace origami hat to meet the pope."
That's right. She's one brazen lady, that one.
In this gallery, I feature several of Biya's wonderful wigs she wears as she poses with famous political and cultural figures around the world.
Here, Chantal Biya attends a White House dinner for African leaders in August 2014.
Read more about Cameroon, Biya's hair and her husband's reputation in The Story Behind the Hair: Contemporary, Repressive Cameroon.
Big Scarves & Big Hair
Here, Chantal wears one of her signature head wraps at the Peace and Security in Africa Summit in Paris in December, 2013.
Chantal Biya and Pope Francis
Here, Chantal Biya and her husband, Cameroon's president Paul Biya, are received by Pope Francis at the Vatican in October, 2013. Cameroon, a country in Africa, is largely Christian.
Chantal Biya in Paris
Chantal's wig is a good 6 inches high in this shot taken at the 'UNESCO Artist for Peace' awards in Paris in June 2010.
Chantal Biya and First Lady Michelle Obama
In September 2010, Michelle Obama hosted a farm-to-table lunch in upstate New York for the spouses of world leaders. Obama is seen here greeting Chantal Biya at the event, which was meant to promote Obama's healthy eating campaign.
Another Shot of Biya and the First Lady
Here is a great shot from the side of Chantal Biya's amazing wig.
Chantal Biya Visits With French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy
Here's a fun shot of French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy welcoming Cameroon's First Lady Chantal Biya to France at an event held in July 2010 at the Elysee Palace in Paris.
Paris Hilton (!!) and Chantal Biya
This is an odd pairing. Here we see US socialite Paris Hilton posing for a picture with Chantal Biya at an event for the first ladies of Africa in April, 2009.
Chantal Biya's Hair is Protected From the Rain
When you are the First Lady of Cameroon, you get to have help hold umbrellas over your head at events. Here, Chantal Biya's famous hair is protected by the rain at the African First Ladies Health Summit in Los Angeles in April 2009. The two-day summit brought together the wives of 14 African leaders to discuss with health experts and philanthropists the issues and problems facing their countries.
More stories around the Web....
When Pope Benedict XVI visited Cameroon in March 2009, he was greeted by Cameroon's president and first lady. Cameroon is a largely Christian country, but has many problems with HIV and AIDS. The pope was visiting to address these issues but stood firm with the church's stance against the use of condoms.
I love Biya's hat here. Priceless.
Chantal Biya inspires stories in magazines and newspapers. I particularly love the headlines on some of these:
- This article from NY Magazine includes photos and a brief background on Biya.
- Wikipedia's bio on this great lady.
- The Huffington Post gives us the Story Behind the Hair.
- The Washington Post's account of Biya's visit to the states is quite good. The first lady of Cameroon and her hair have touched down in D.C.