Round 41: Process + Action: An Exploration Of Ideas

Growing into a woman is the time that it dawns on you. What is presentable. What is beautiful. What is natural. These are not questions. My examination of these statements propagates this series of works that addresses cultural aesthetics and hair relevance by telling a unique personal story. Hair directly provokes powerful identity shifts and affects our personal space. These natural fibers are a momentary tool that we use to fit certain standards of beauty. As a brief part of the body, hair becomes a tool in which we mold ourselves into specific ideals. Laborious beautification practices often involve hair and the lack of access to certain beauty products directly affects self-conciousness. My study of braided hair in particular generated this series of work on the cultural, political, and aesthetic relevance of hairdressing and access to beauty products. The cross pollination of untold histories and hair are the core elements of my work.