Who Taught You to Hate Yourself?

Artist Statement :

Who Taught You to Hate Yourself? is a portrait series that explores how beauty standards, colorism, and media representation shape the way Black women view themselves. While the project began from my own experiences, I always intended for it to focus on the larger impact these issues have on the Black community. Including multiple women allowed me to show the range of discrimination we face and the many ways internalized racism and colorism manifest in our lives. I wanted the series to reflect the diversity within Black identity, such as different skin tones, hair textures, and backgrounds, while also highlighting the shared emotional weight many of us carry. Images such as Comb Test and Paper Bag Test recontextualize discriminatory practices once used to measure Blackness, tracing their lingering effects on self-worth. Others, like Burn Cream, Perm Cream, reference personal experiences with hair straightening and the painful pursuit of unattainable beauty ideals. Through staged portraits and visual symbolism, this work challenges narrow definitions of beauty and invites viewers to reflect on the emotional impact of these expectations - both individually and collectively. The project concludes with a group portrait that represents strength, support, and the power of the Black community.

Selected Photos :