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“Hey, can we borrow a hair tie?”

 

We invite you to encounter an otherwise small and mundane object: the hair tie. Why are they lost so often, and where can they be found? In what ways do hair ties enable people to express themselves?

 

The Hair Tie Project draws on contemporary experiences through interviews to interrogate the ways that a shift in hairstyle can empower or hinder a person’s daily life. Using the hair tie as an entry point, this project asked interviewees if they have ever felt judged for their ponytails, weaves, or pixie cuts; how they feel when they lend or lose their hair ties; and whether they value, or even have, the freedom to control their follicles with the snap of a hair tie.

 

We hope that our project tempts you to consider the potential meanings of the hair ties that you discover on wrists or floors as you go about your daily life.