Edges, or styled baby hairs, do not have a single “inventor,” but the look is widely credited as being pioneered and popularized by Black entertainers like Josephine Baker in the 1920s and then evolved through later Black and Latinx style movements.

What “edges” means

  • “Edges” refers to the fine baby hairs along the hairline that are slicked down with gel or pomade into swoops, curls, or waves.
  • The style is especially associated with Black hair culture, but has also become common in Afro-Latinx and Chola style scenes over time.

Who gets credit for starting it

  • Many historians and hair culture writers point to performer and activist Josephine Baker in the 1920s as the first major entertainer seen with sculpted, swooped edges framing her face.
  • Jazz singer Baby Esther also wore sculptural hair and baby hairs, and her look later inspired the cartoon character Betty Boop, helping spread the aesthetic into mainstream pop culture.

How modern “laid edges” took off

  • The inspiration for modern laid edges comes from 1920s “kiss curls” and finger waves, but the specific laid‑edges style took recognizable modern form in the 1990s African American community.
  • Artists like Chilli from TLC, Missy Elliott, Brandy, and others in 90s R&B and hip‑hop helped turn laid edges into a widely copied style.

Cultural meaning today

  • Laying edges is now seen both as a creative styling technique and as a visible marker of Black hair artistry and identity.
  • The practice has roots in pressure to conform to Eurocentric beauty standards, but today is often reclaimed as a way to celebrate natural textures and express cultural pride.

TL;DR: No single person “made” edges, but Josephine Baker is often named as the early pioneer of styled edges in the 1920s, with the look later amplified by Black and Latinx communities and 90s music stars.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.