Ebonee Davis

The model, activist and Kérastase ambassador talks exclusively to marie claire in Paris about her childhood trauma, feelings of inadequacy and how her hair reflects her internal growth

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EVERYTHING THAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH has really led to the power I am able to embody today. Once you overcome the shame, the grief and self-doubt [of her parents' drug addiction and subsequent abandonment] you can lead yourself to a place of being able to help others. Being able to share what I've been through has opened so many doors for me. It has placed me in a position where I can now show women how to embrace their truth.

I DECIDED TO [let my hair] go natural at the end of 2015. [Before that] I did a fashion show at New York Fashion Week where I had my afro straightened. There were four people using super-high heat on it. [After that experience] my hair was falling out, so I cut it off.