Sarah Maple Classic
“Look, if I loved you it was because of your hair. Now that you are without hair, I don’t love you anymore.”
Was inspired by two iconic moments – Frida Kahlo’s divorce from husband Diego and Britney Spears infamous public break down.
When Frida Kahlo found her husband Diego had cheated on her with her own sister, she painted ‘Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair’ where she defiantly put on his suit and cut off all of her hair.
I saw a clear link, when Britney Spears suffered a very public meltdown after being hounded by the press and having her two children taken from her. The tabloid images show her shaving her head in an act of defiance against the biased and stifling portrayal of her by the media, mainstream culture and even some members of her own family. In the paparazzi images, Britney’s gaze echoes Kahlo’s and she too looks vulnerable but strong and defiant.
For me, both moments show rebellion against gender-normative roles, while powerfully restating personal and professional autonomy.
I was fascinated by how women can feel a loss of control over their lives and bodies. I am interested in the ways we try to take that control back. I found something powerfully poetic in this act, as if by removing something so linked to female beauty and sexuality, like denouncing your sexuality, can be a way to take back control of our lives and bodies.
