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A Portrait By Raveen

A Portrait by Raveen, installed with Conditioned, references the Raveen hair relaxer advertisement of the same name. The original advertisement features an African American woman with straight, silky hair in an oval frame.

While Raveen hair relaxers promised to deliver beautiful, straight hair, conforming to these white-centric beauty standards was achieved by chemically damaging the hair of Black women—and ultimately, their bodies. 

A recent lawsuit has found that Black women who use relaxers more than twice a year or for more than five years have a 50% increase in the risk of uterine cancer. The artist addresses this hidden risk by adorning the installation with a peach ribbon, the symbol for uterine cancer awareness.

 

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