“Curling Back to Your Roots'' is a multimedia project that explores the deep connection with our bodies and their ability to shape, define, and reinforce our sense of self. I’m interested in the efforts that people put into concealing their natural hair as a way to respond to societal pressure and constraints. My project consists of a series of profiles of men and women that highlight the remarkable relationships we have with natural hair. Through these profiles, I aim to understand the different motives that drive people to turn their hair into a vulnerability, only to ultimately reclaim it as their strength. I thus examine the tenacious process of unlearning the old practices and finding courage in one’s way back to self-acceptance. By highlighting very personal journeys of acceptance and embrace of natural hair, in all its unpredictability, volume, and beauty, this project reveals the complex yet delicate process of resilience and learning to find compassion for our bodies and ourselves.

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A special thank you to everyone involved in the RAAB Writing Program, Diana Raab, Ljiljana Cocklin, and Ellen Whittet. To the photographer Briana Saenz, and everyone involved in my project!