Letting My Hair Down
Years ago women used to keep their hair pinned up and only let it down in the bedroom. Even today, on the big screen, awkward or seemingly unattractive females rip out their hair ties and throw their hair around and are instantly propelled into sexual superstardom. In some cultures, women still cover their hair so that only their husbands have the privilege of seeing and enjoying their hair. Technically, hair is nothing more than dead cells, so why is it such a symbol of sexuality?
I was originally tempted to say that the literal letting down of hair is both a saying and a stereotype, but nothing more. As I began exploring this idea however, I realized that the state of my hair’s freedom largely influenced my own ability to feel like a sexual being. Perhaps it is not that men find women’s hair to be sexual; rather that they recognize the change in demeanor exuded by a woman when she lets her hair down. It is this aspect that I am exploring in my work.
The texture of hair, its layers, its delicate movement, and seeing the subtlety in its contrast is a visually stunning experience. This series of self portraits is dedicated to my personal exploration into this idea of a woman’s hair being definitively linked to her sexuality. I chose to photograph myself so that I could examine my emotional relationship to my own hair, my self-awareness, and my own sexuality. I felt a sense of exhilaration in really letting my hair down and allowing it to be free and wild.
Formally I strove to create images which were both sensual and abstract. I found that the images which only revealed the hair were more clinical and did not reveal enough of myself to see the sense of sensuality. I strove to find a delicacy within the framework of freedom and desire. Letting my hair down is meant to give the viewer the sense of experiencing a relationship with me photographically. My art is intended to both entice the viewer and make the viewer feel a sense of guilty pleasure or voyeurism, as if he or she is witnessing a very personal and private moment.
I do not mean to hint towards erotic imagery or to exploit myself in any manner. Letting my hair down is intended to invite the viewer to pay attention to this special connection between a woman’s hair and her sensuality. I intend on continuing this work with other women of all ages and ethnicities out of curiosity to see how this idea is transcended through all women.
Read MoreI was originally tempted to say that the literal letting down of hair is both a saying and a stereotype, but nothing more. As I began exploring this idea however, I realized that the state of my hair’s freedom largely influenced my own ability to feel like a sexual being. Perhaps it is not that men find women’s hair to be sexual; rather that they recognize the change in demeanor exuded by a woman when she lets her hair down. It is this aspect that I am exploring in my work.
The texture of hair, its layers, its delicate movement, and seeing the subtlety in its contrast is a visually stunning experience. This series of self portraits is dedicated to my personal exploration into this idea of a woman’s hair being definitively linked to her sexuality. I chose to photograph myself so that I could examine my emotional relationship to my own hair, my self-awareness, and my own sexuality. I felt a sense of exhilaration in really letting my hair down and allowing it to be free and wild.
Formally I strove to create images which were both sensual and abstract. I found that the images which only revealed the hair were more clinical and did not reveal enough of myself to see the sense of sensuality. I strove to find a delicacy within the framework of freedom and desire. Letting my hair down is meant to give the viewer the sense of experiencing a relationship with me photographically. My art is intended to both entice the viewer and make the viewer feel a sense of guilty pleasure or voyeurism, as if he or she is witnessing a very personal and private moment.
I do not mean to hint towards erotic imagery or to exploit myself in any manner. Letting my hair down is intended to invite the viewer to pay attention to this special connection between a woman’s hair and her sensuality. I intend on continuing this work with other women of all ages and ethnicities out of curiosity to see how this idea is transcended through all women.
