Talking Textures: Hairdresser Yasemin Hassan celebrates SWANA curls and coils
Words by Yasemin Hassan.
Talking Textures is an analogue photo series which I directed, captured by photographer Yeliz Zaifoglu. This project delves into the intersection of beauty standards and cultural identity within South West Asian and North African (SWANA) communities. Through the lens of 35mm film photography, Talking Textures aims to challenge Eurocentric beauty norms and celebrate the diverse textures of hair within the SWANA community. The series goes beyond traditional photoshoots, emphasising cultural identity over fashion, and aims to shed light on the challenges faced by individuals with textured hair.
In collaboration with Dania Arafeh, founder of 3EIB—Talking Textures reacts to the underlying shame often experienced by SWANA individuals within their cultures and the beauty standards perpetuated by mainstream media. Talking Textures seeks to address underlying shame and misconceptions surrounding textured hair, offering representation and fostering dialogue within the SWANA community.
The project serves as a response to the lack of SWANA representation and education within the hair industry, aiming to decolonise perceptions of hair whilst providing an editorial edge.
For me, this project so personal. I’ve come from a family of hairdressers and having curly hair myself, I was never taught on how to style or even educate myself on my curly hair. I noticed that when becoming a hairdresser, I saw everyone else was also having the same problems. This runs deeper: we can even observe the lack of community there is in salon environments now in the western world, the one-size-fits-all approach to hairdressing, and the hour-long haircuts which cost a fortune.
This exhibition aims to bring to light the community in these spaces, as this is who it for. We will be showing images and video-interviews from the community both in their own homes and in the salon setting, inverting the ‘barbershop chat’ . The exhibition’s aim is to encourage the community to question their relationships with their own hair and provide a safe space for individuals navigating the journey of embracing their natural hair, and hope to foster a positive shift in our community towards celebrating the natural markers of our identities as a whole.
Talking Textures will be exhibited at Ugly Duck, London Bridge from 12-14th April. Find tickets and information here.
Creative Director/Lead Hair: Yasemin Hassan
Photographer: Yeliz Zaifoglu
Makeup Artist : Tina Khatri
Stylists - 3EIB / Dania Arafeh
Models: Riyam Salim, Peyam Zangana wearing Mehdi Aasiya, Kara wearing Isis Dunya