A series born in rural Argentina that grew into a continental journey, portraying women whose personal histories, rituals and cultural ties are revealed through the way they choose to carry and preserve their hair.
What began as a personal curiosity for Irina Werning evolved into a far reaching study of how women carry identity and ancestry through everyday gestures. The book brings together nearly two decades of portraits from across Latin America, accompanied by bilingual texts that open the series to new interpretations.
«I search for them everywhere,
I travel to forgotten towns,
I put up signs,
I organise long hair competitions
Till i find them
And i always ask them: why do you have long hair?
“because i like it, cause my dad looks after it…”
but the true reason is invisible
and passes from generation to generation
its the culture of Latin America,
where our ancestors believed that cutting hair was
cutting life, that hair is the physical manifestation
of our thoughts and our souls and our connection
to the land.»
Irina Werning
Across rural landscapes, city outskirts and domestic interiors, the women in ‘Las Pelilargas’ appear both rooted and in motion. Some are photographed from behind, their hair cascading almost to the floor, while others hold their place within classrooms, markets or family homes. For many of them, growing their hair long is neither a fashion statement nor a nostalgic ritual. It is a cultural marker that connects them to ancestral traditions where hair is considered an extension of thought, spirit and land. Werning’s gaze reveals this gesture as one of quiet resistance in a world that tends to accelerate, erase and homogenise.
The book also frames these images within a social dimension that acknowledges age, geography and community ties. There is tenderness and humour in how these portraits unfold, but also a firm awareness of the cultural labour carried by these women. Their hair becomes a living archive, a thread that holds personal and collective histories in place.
‘Las Pelilargas’ stands as a tribute to persistence, to beauty that refuses simplification, and to the narratives silently carried in every strand. You can visit her website to purchase a copy.
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