Photo: Barbers of Freetown and Vietnam

Pictures by  Olivia Acland

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(...) Barbers also take on the role of counsellors, listening to clients agonise over their love lives or confide in them about family crises. The barber shop provides a safe space for people to sit back and unwind - after all, it's important to feel relaxed as someone takes a knife to your chin or a pair of scissors to your head. (...)

Pictures by  James Duong

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Hair Story: They absolutely represent who I am

I entered the Miss Jamaica World pageant and in order to go further as a selected semi-finalist, I was told to remove my braids. They were considered (*) as an unfair advantage and a misrepresentation of who I am.

25 years later, I am known and recognised by my braids, and rarely have they been an advantage to anything. In fact they may have been a hindrance to my work in certain performing arts spaces. But one thing is certain - they absolutely represent who I am. Or - Who I’ve been for my adult life…. until now.

BM,?, Female, Sierra Leone/Jamaica/USA

#Braids #Identity

(*)= not sure of the transcription for this word