Beauty Ad (Big Chop)

One hallmark of this new natural hair movement is what naturals (women who’ve gone completely natural) call the “big chop”, which is when one cuts off all of the chemically processed or damaged hair hair leaving the new growth close to the root.

For some Black women who undergo the big chop, there is both a physical change as well as a psychological change where they essentially lose a part of themselves that is so closely tied to their femininity and sense of beauty.

Considering how closely hair is tied to Black femininity and beauty, this installation take hair out of the equation to challenge beauty standards.