3 days ago
Man Sees Girlfriend's Natural Hair for the First Time—Reaction Says It All
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The internet has shared in a joyous moment between a couple as a man saw his girlfriend's natural hair for the first time, and appeared to instantly fall in love again.
Jessica Machado, 25, a model originally from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, now lives in Los Angeles, with her long-term boyfriend Nikolai Chuprovskii, 37, originally from Krasnodar in Russia.
The couple have been together for over two years, after a meet-cute while she was working as a waitress and he asked if they served ice cream—which they did, but as a new staff member, Machado didn't know this, and told him they didn't. And so her future boyfriend walked away, ice cream-less.
But Chuprovskii returned to the restaurant, this time asking for her number—and they've been together ever since.
Machado knew there was something special when she let slip it was a dream of hers to go to Disneyland, and that she was working two jobs to help save money to visit, and "he bought the tickets that same day."
"That moment showed me that when someone truly wants you, they'll do anything to make you happy," she told Newsweek.
That said, Machado admits their relationship "comes with its fair share of challenges."
"Interracial, intercultural, and multilingual," she said. "We speak different native languages—Portuguese and Russian—and neither of us is fluent in English. I have a bit more experience with it, so we're constantly learning and improving together.
"It's not always easy, but it's made our bond stronger and our communication more intentional."
Now Machado and Chuprovskii's relationship has gone viral for the sweetest reason, after she recorded the moment he saw her with her natural hair for the first time ever.
Nikolai Chuprovskii reacts to seeing Jessica Machado's natural hair for the first time.
Nikolai Chuprovskii reacts to seeing Jessica Machado's natural hair for the first time.
TikTok @justfyj
In a video to her TikTok account, @justfyj, posted in July and boasting more than 5 million views, she showed herself in the bathroom having taken out her braids, when Chuprovskii suddenly appeared in the doorway.
She wrote: "POV [point of view]: My boyfriend seeing my natural hair for the first time after I took out my braids."
Machado turns to him, and he stares wordlessly at her, taking it all in. And as she starts laughing, a smile breaks across his face, and he slowly walks over to her and brings her in for a hug.
"He acted like he's never seen me before," she wrote in the caption.
Machado told Newsweek: "That moment reminded me why, for so long, I struggled to accept my natural hair. Growing up, I was always told it was 'too difficult to manage.' But now, I see it as a beautiful part of who I am.
"As many Black women know, our hair carries emotional and cultural weight. So for him not just to accept it, but to celebrate it, meant the world to me. He's truly a sweetheart."
Machado and Chuprovskii together.
Machado and Chuprovskii together.
According to a 2016 study from The Perception Institute, one in five Black women felt social pressure to straighten their hair for work, and the majority of participants showed implicit bias against Black women's textured hair. The study, which questioned 4,163 participants in the United States, found that Black women perceived a level of social stigma against their natural hair.
TikTok users loved the sweet insight into their relationship, awarding the video more than 600,000 likes, one commenter writing: "He literally fell in love again."
"Did we just witness him falling in love again?" another asked, while one pointed out: "He had to lean back to admire the beauty."
One predicted Chuprovskii "went ring shopping the very next day," as another predicted: "He's going to propose in about six months. I called it!"
And as one moved commenter wrote: "That look would have healed my inner little girl."
Machado, who also posts to Instagram under the username @ijessmach, told Newsweek she "never expected the video to go viral," describing it as a "complete shock."
"I didn't think his reaction would touch so many people. Seeing so many comments from people saying they dream of this kind of love... it's a powerful reminder of how rare and beautiful mutual respect and affection are.
"We're definitely not perfect, but we're very real, rooted in love, friendship, and lots of laughs."
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