‘High School Musical’ Monique Coleman Explains Taylor’s Headbands

Monique Coleman revealed in a recent interview that her signature headband look in High School Musical was actually a solution to a big industry issue. Turns out her character, Taylor, always wore statement pieces because stylists on set did her hair “very poorly.”

Coleman told the Insider, “We’ve grown a lot in this industry and we’ve grown a lot in representation, and we’ve grown a lot in terms of understanding the needs of an African American actress.” She then continued, “But the truth is that they had done my hair, and they had done it very poorly in the front.” 

The High School Musical alum’s brilliant solution was to “incorporate headbands into her character” and “just make that a part of who she is”.

“I’m really grateful to have been someone who was able to bring representation at a time where there wasn’t very much, and I’m so happy when I see this next generation of young artists and there just being so much more room for people of color.”