I started work on this based on a sketch I had in mind. I was exploring themes of maternal bonds and childhood. I remembered when I was little how much of an emphasis was placed on the length of my hair. I was never allowed to cut more than a 1/4th of an inch at any haircut and I only went twice a year for trims. By the time I was 11, my mom had okayed temporary hair dye.
Every night before I went to bed, I french braided my long hair. My mom didn’t know how to do it but I taught myself and was requested that I do my sister’s most nights after I finished mine. My mom hadn’t been allowed to cut her hair as a girl either, and the minute she reached her teens, she cut it very short. The summer going into high school, I shaved it all off.
Here it is installed and completed!
Ashlee Silver 