Being given the object of hair extensions ;I felt really overwhelmed because of how little I know about them. Whenever I hear extensions I would think of celebrities like the Kardashians that have very dramatic changed to their hair in short spaces of time (long to bob, back to long. I have started my research by creating mood boards on websites such as Pintreset. I like this website because it is really easy to navigate, find similar work and also easily referenceable.

I was advised to collect images of people wearing hair extensions; but I didn’t have much luck finding anyone. I either felt very awkward asking people if they were wearing hair extensions (it sounds like I’m saying it looks obvious), or they just didn’t want me to take a picture of them. I thought the next best thing I could do would be to get opinions from people. I asked a variety of people (different ages, races, styles ect) and there really were a mixture of responses. A lot of people labelled it as ‘fake’ and ‘plastic’, but quite a lot didn’t see an issue with it and were quite desensitised by me asking their opinion on this object.

Once I got to grips with what the public thought of extensions; I thought the next best thing to do would be to research into the history of extensions and weaves to fully understand what I was de/reconstructing. I came to find that there is actually a lot of history behind them from when they originated back in 3400BC. Things like King Louis XIII prematurely balding and Christina Jenkins new weaving method means that extensions have been modernised and revolutionised and turned into a highly desirable accessory with a constantly growing market. Of course this led me on to discover where we get this hair- and unfortunately it is from LEDC’s that have such traditional beauty standards that they are willing to give up for money.