A FRESH CUT

FROM HAIR COLOUR TO BUZZ CUTS TO WIGS, QUEER FOLKS RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR HAIR HAS A MUCH DEEPER MEANING THAN MERE AESTHETIC VALUE. IT IS A FORM OF SELF-EXPRESSION AND IS OFTEN USED TO Jeff THE NORMATIVE, BINARY BEAUTY STANDARD. WE SPOTLIGHT THE NARRATIVES OF FIVE YOUNG QUEER PEOPLE WHO TRACK THEIR JOURNEY WITH THEIR HAIR AND HOW IT HAS HELPED AFFIRM THEIR IDENTITY AND CREATE A SENSE OF BELONGING

- OJAS KOLVANKAR

SAM Ali Ahmed

Sam Ali Ahmed is a 23-year-old, Mumbai-based sommelier whose fascination with hair colour began when he was 14 years old - about the same time he realised he was queer. What started as a few sparing highlights here and there has, over the past few years, turned into a full head of colour in the hues of bubble gum pink and lavender.

"When I coloured my hair for the first time, I fell in love with myself instantly. Ever since then, I haven't stopped. It has become an integral part of my identity. Everyone recognises me because of it."

TARUN PANWAR

Tarun Panwar is a 27-year-old producer and model. Their hair length, which is a little below the shoulders, often leads to confusion about their gender for people around them. Just a glance at their hair, and people think they are a cis woman only to later associate them with a cis man upon looking at their body. This very confusion of not being able to place them in the stereotypical setting of male or female helped Panwar affirm their gender-queer expression. For them, their hair's fluidity is akin to their identity. Their journey with their hair is not one that looks inward. Instead, they derive it from their day-to-day interactions with others.