An afro, sometimes shortened to "fro", is a hairstyle in which the hair extends out from the head like a halo, cloud or ball. History In the 1860s a style similar to the afro was worn by the Circassian beauties, sometimes known as "Moss-haired girls", exhibited in sideshow attractions in the United States by P.T. Barnum and others. These women were claimed to be from the Circassian people in the Northern Caucasus region, and were marketed to white audiences captivated by the "exotic East."Li… (More on Afro)