SELECTED WORKS

THEIR HAIR: A VISUAL EXPLORATION OF BODY HAIR

Overview: I created the concept for Their Hair: A Visual Exploration of Body Hair because I feel that mainstream feminism has closed its chapter on body hair, and has yet to develop the capacity to acknowledge aspects of women of color (WoC) and queer and trans people of color’s (QTPoC) lives which can, at times, prevent them from accessing their body image or perception of self in the same way white women do. Through my own personal experiences with body hair, from teasing to Nair to waxing to letting it grow, I wanted to speak with other people of color who had varied experiences in how they perceive their own body hair, and body hair as a societal concept.

Process: After the concept was developed, I was responsible for producing this shoot. I sourced the location, Acme Studios, and begin reaching out to various people to interview and photograph for this project. Once I found all six individuals, I conducted one-on-one interviews with each of them about their personal experiences and thoughts on body hair, and then Nikki Freyermuth, a SPICY photographer, shot them. After the shoot, Nikki edited the photos and I wrote the final feature article. In addition, I also assisted with styling and set design. SPICY’s videographer, Vanessa Quintero, also created a short film about this project.

Results: Within a few days, the engagement of this project exceeded any that we had seen before, and we received very positive responses from folks who could relate to this content in this piece. Like Dynamic Desi, it received a full spread in our 001 zine.