Tu Afro no cabe en la foto-Alex Guerrero
Eight Seconds:
My first impression of this artwork is how the subject’s afro takes up the majority of the print. This makes me think that the artist considers the afro a very important part of the subject’s identity. The overflow of the subject’s afro from the first frame seems to be an act of rebellion against the norm, the norm being hair that is able to fit in the frame (straighter, less volume). The subject seems to be proving that she has more to offer than what is asked/accepted in society, her afro serving as her symbol for her message. Also, the borders seem to be part of the print, as opposed to just being the background.
Ten Minutes:
After observing the artwork for ten minutes, I was able to take in Alex Guerrero’s message much deeper. I was able to see why Coco Fusco claims that art is an effective tool to fight racism and other justice issues. Alex Guerrero’s fights against the western beauty standards that claim being beautiful means having straight hair and a light complexion. The words “Tu Afro No Cabe En La Foto” (“Your Afro Doesn’t Fit in the Photo”) represent these western beauty standards. These words also represent how unbeautiful women with afros are often made to feel. The “doesn’t fit” part really struck out to me because oftentimes women who can’t fit into western beauty standards are made to feel as if they don’t fit into society, as if they’re not wanted. The white strokes at the border that seem to be filling in the blackness of the subject’s hair is really representative of this. It shows how criticism of women with afro hair often eat away at the confidence of a woman. Women have and continue to straighten their hair and lighten their complexion because they have consistently been told that if they don’t they will never find someone that will love them. African American and Afro-Latina women were especially told this so that they would be ashamed of their ethnicity and culture, giving more power to white people. After hearing it so many times, women begin to believe this. However, the subject’s big and voluminous hair becomes an act of resistance and defiance against society’s oppressive views of beauty. Her hair shows that her hair isn’t the problem, the frame is. Her hair is unruly and free, showing that she is in control. The freedom of her hair shows the freedom of her spirit because she has refused to go by western beauty standards. She has found her own version of beautiful and shows it proudly. Guerrero is making the statement that beauty does not exclusively mean straight hair and that people’s oppressive view of beauty needs to change. The subject’s unapologetic facial expression show two things: how unapologetic Guerrero is for making her statement and how unapologetic all women with afros should be for being themselves. This art piece is effective at fighting racism and oppressive beauty standards because it represents all women with afro hair. Representation is so important when fighting social issues because it gives people who have been oppressed confidence and a voice in the fight. Alex Guerrero does just that in an image and seven words.
