Not far from Emory University’s Main Campus in Atlanta, Georgia, you will find a very special museum. The Black Hair Experience is a space that is transforming the traditional art exhibition by displaying nostalgic articles for African American women and staging living spaces and salons for the purpose of sharing personal experience.

This museum opened its door in November 2020 in Atlanta, and it branched out to Dallas, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and more to come. Two friends and business partners Elizabeth Austin and Alisha Brooks founded the museum and said in an interview with a media, “we wanted to deliver the message that African American women are beautiful.”

In affiliation with other Black owned businesses, they are showcasing products at an on-site store and holding weekly workshops for young African American girls to help them grow up being proud as an African American woman by offering mentorship.

Located in Atlanta, this museum is not large but features a glamorous and decorative exhibit so that the entire place is filled with opportunities to take a selfie. That is how it is dubbed selfie-museum.

Visitors who enjoyed the exhibit leave their thoughts on sticky notes, share their experiences, and post the selfies on social media as well as on the museum’s Facebook page all the while building community of African American women.

Messages left on sticky notes

Visitors upload selfies taken in the museum ©The Black Hair Experience

On the floor of the exhibition room, there are large bingo cards featuring articles commonly used by African American women and popular hair styling techniques. Visitors can participate in the bingo games by placing scrunchies on the card.

크럼핑 아이언©Aliexpress / 구슬 머리끈 ©amazon/ 핑크 오일 모이스춰라이저 ©target/버터플라이 클립 ©etsy /핫 콤브, 블루 매직, 울트라 신 ©Walmart

Your own home or hair salons—these familiar spaces can give you special emotional experience during sharing their unique stories and listening to others’. The personal stories continue to pile up and will form even bigger wave of influence.

The Black Hair Experience’s founders Austin and Brooks say, “we will continue to expand to other regions because we believe telling our own stories and sharing our experiences are so valuable.” They disclosed that they will continue this project until African American women can feel confident and proud of their own beauty.

Official website: https://www.theblackhairexperience.com/