The cages in the first three styles represent the encapsulation of self when we are bound by expectation, unable to express in fear of not being heard. I needed to find my voice so I could understand myself within the context of my relationships. Through the process of leaving a suppressed situation, I was able to find true self-expression.

When we struggle through tough times – whether they are personal or global – we feel uncertain and inadequate and our senses are effected. I have been deaf in one ear since I was a child, and I didn’t realise that I was symbolically blinded and muted too… until I was brave enough to change my cages into something new…
 
I represent this transformation by removing the braided cages of the first three styles and reworking the detail into a crown; the queen has a wing and like an uncaged bird, I freed my sexuality. The feathered wing is a symbol of this freedom and the layers of hair are symbols of the layers I have shed to uncage who I truly am.

CREDITS

Hair: Vicki Lord
Photographer: Lorraine Lucas
MUA: facesbymadi
Models: Meg Lodge & Holly
PR & Designer: Jordan Martin