This photograph, one of five beauty parlor images in artist Deborah Willis's exhibition “Framing Beauty,” explores how present-day African-Americans construct their identity and image. The subject in the photo grasps — and controls — the mirror that reflects her determined and attractive face. The photograph has historically served as a powerful mirror in the African-American community, reflecting the achievements, triumphs and positive imagery all too often erased from the culture at large. 

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