If there’s one thing I learned from Thelma, the feisty offspring and only girl in Florida and James Evans’ brood, is that even if you’re living in a project in Chicago, broker than a joker, you still have NO excuse to not have your hair together. Other than getting married to a football player whose career ends with the quickness and going through rough and tumble patches with that relationship, most think Thelma Evans really didn’t do that much. Not true! She kept that hair looking on point, pulling out all the stops with baby hairs and roller sets, and when she would dance on the show, it would stay in place! So here’s a tribute to the immovable mane of our homegirl Thelma.
Flips and Dips
Ha! I used to put so much heat to my ends every morning in high school trying to single-handedly bring this flip style back into style. And unlike Farrah Fawcett and those of the Caucasian persuasion, my hair wasn’t long blonde and flowing for some sick flips. So Thelma’s hair was my model on how to swoop, flip and dip my hair into perfection. Well, hers was perfection at least, not mine…
Where’s the Afro Sheen?
“Beautiful people, wear Afro Sheen.” I would be surprised if Thelma didn’t. The afro she wore on the show for a period was always at major heights and fluffy as that “thang.” Out of all of her hairstyles, Thelma wore this one with the most sass as well as class, and it made her look more grown up then her beloved ponytail.
C’mon and Braid My Hair
Remember the episode when Thelma was in “like” with that African man? Well, I had to include this hairstyle in the gallery just because it was so elegant and influential. These small braids hung down from the front of her face, the back, and right in the middle where her widows peak was.
Curly Que
Curls were also a good look for Thelma. Her hair was always so big and healthy, and when it was curly it always looked extra thick and lustrous. Blue Magic maybe? Okay, maybe not.
Roll, Bounce
Thelma’s roller set hair was also pretty big and sat on her head like a fancy, full helmet. Reminds me of photos of my mom from WAY back when. By the way, this was one of those styles I was talking about that never moved but always stayed fab.
Check the Pony
Thelma’s trademark style was the ponytail. Ribbons, baby hair, buns–they all spiced up her ponytails, and on a majority of “Good Times'” episodes, that’s what you could find Thelma wearing. From an afro puff ponytail, to a more elegant swept up ponytail when she got older, the pony was her thing. And it worked.
