By Jay Lagrandeur

This piece explores the quiet and vulnerable moments in front of the bathroom mirror. No one talks about how exhausting the process of getting ready can be when the imposed beauty standards feel impossible to reach. We often overlook how conditioned women are to associate their hair with beauty and worth. The act of styling your hair can make you feel powerful while also holding power over you.

I can’t count how many times I’ve cried in front of the mirror out of frustration because I couldn’t get my hair to look right. I felt like I didn’t even want to go out anymore. These hysterical moments in the limbo between trying my hardest to mold myself to be “presentable” and giving up control to attempt self-acceptance are what inspired me to create this piece.