An afro is a hairstyle: the hair is left in its natural curl and cut so it makes a large, round shape around the head, like a soft ball or a cloud. It became a famous look in the 1960s and 1970s, especially among Black people in the United States, at a time when wearing hair this way was also a proud message — this hair does not need to be straightened to be beautiful. People still wear afros now; it is not only a look from old photographs. You can have a short afro or a very big one. The word is informal, and it names that round shape. Though actually, many people today say “natural hair” for the wider idea, and keep “afro” for this cut. Older English sometimes used Afro for a person with African roots, in the same naming pattern as Latino or Anglo, but that use feels dated and can sound blunt, so it is safer not to call a person “an Afro”.