Dark & Lovely

Named after the haircare brand Dark & Lovely, this series of works explores the notion of the ‘Black aesthetics’ and respectability politics.

To have ‘good hair’ when I was growing up was to have long straight hair. Therefore, when I went natural a few years ago, meaning that I stopped chemically straightening my hair I noticed a shift in the way I was regarded by others. Hair is gendered and like the black body is political. I am interested in the materiality and manipulation of hair. In going natural I was reintroduced to myself, I become fascinated with the hair that grows out of my scalp. A nappy head full of kinks and coils. The images in the collection ‘Dark & Lovely’, named after the popular haircare brand, explores the notion of the ‘Black aesthetics’ and respectability politics; drawing on a shared memory of assimilation by people of African descent to conform to a European standard of beauty.