HOMELESS | TOURIST

2017
Natural and synthetic hair, faux fur, bling stickers, clothing, shoes, Behr paint samples
Size varies

While living in an economically depressed area in San Francisco, CA called the Tenderloin, I was misidentified as homeless twice, and on a third occasion mislabeled a drug dealer. To those who stereotyped me, it was the nap of my hair (specifically my dreadlocks) and the dark hue of my skin that signified me as always already homeless. It didn’t matter that I wore fashionable and expensive garments. However—and even while wearing ratty workout gear—a white woman with pale skin and a blond ponytail is always called a tourist. 

To enhance the concept evoked by the contrasts in clothing, I embroidered the word “HOMELESS” using Afro Kinky Braid synthetic hair into a hand-made fur vest. The word “TOURIST” is spelled out on the shabby, black sweat jacket using faux bling and blond synthetic hair pulled into a ponytail representing the “O.”