On October 23, 29-year-old Jess Martinez from New York officially set a new Guinness World Record for the largest afro on a woman, measuring an incredible 190 centimetres (around 6 feet 3 inches) in circumference. This surpasses the previous record of 165 centimetres (around 5 feet 5 inches) set by Aevin Dugas in 2010.
Last month, a Guinness adjudicator visited Martinez to take official measurements, a task so challenging that he needed help from two additional people. After careful measurement, her afro was recorded at 29 cm (11.42 in) tall, 31 cm (12.2 in) wide, and 190 cm (6 ft 2.87 in) in circumference.
To put it in perspective, the circumference of Martinez’s afro is nearly three times the height of the world’s shortest living woman, Jyoti Amge from India.
Martinez is the second woman to hold this unique title, following in the footsteps of Aevin Dugas of Reserve, Louisiana.
Dugas made history in 2010 and was later honoured as a Guinness World Records ICON in 2025 for her powerful messages promoting body positivity, self-love, and cultural acceptance. At the time she held the record, her natural curls measured 25 cm (9.84 in) tall, 26 cm (10.24 in) wide, and 165 cm (5.41 ft) in circumference.
