A viral video featuring Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed and his playoff-era grooming routine has ignited a wider conversation at the intersection of sports culture, social media and the Black hair care industry.
The clip, which began circulating widely on X shows stylist IC Hair maintaining Shaheed’s locs during the Seahawks’ postseason run. The roughly two-minute video highlights a standard retwist and maintenance session, focusing on clean parting, root work and overall styling.
While some viewers praised the technical precision on display, much of the reaction centered on the stylist herself. IC Hair, who is white and describes herself as an award-winning loctician, became the focal point of criticism in the replies, where users questioned why a non-Black stylist was receiving widespread attention for work that many Black hairdressers perform daily.
“There’s thousands of Black women who do this every day without the recognition,” one popular reply read, echoing a broader sentiment throughout the thread. Others framed the moment as another example of unequal visibility within an industry rooted in Black culture, arguing that viral amplification often favors non-Black practitioners even when the techniques originate in Black communities.
Shaheed, a 2023 First-Team All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler, joined the Seahawks in 2025 and has become one of the league’s most recognizable speed threats. His locs are a visible part of his personal brand, particularly during high-profile moments like playoff games, when players often prioritize grooming for media appearances and game-day routines. Shaheed has not publicly commented on the viral post.
The backlash arrives amid ongoing discussions about representation and credit within the U.S. Black hair care industry, which Nielsen estimates to be worth approximately $2.5 billion. Despite Black consumers and stylists driving much of the market, debates around cultural appropriation versus appreciation continue to surface when non-Black figures receive outsized attention for Black hair techniques.
