Lekia LĂ©e, from Romford, Essex, launched her campaign âProject Embraceâ last year to change perceptions of beauty âone curl at a timeâ and encourage black women to embrace their natural locks.
âYou hardly ever see black women with their natural textured hair on billboards so to address the lack of representation I chose this highly visible billboard,â LĂ©e told The Huffington Post UK on Tuesday 14 March.
In an effort to positively influence her 11-year-old daughter Siira, LĂ©e created the billboard poster - featuring the hashtag #afrovisibilty surrounded by women celebrating their au naturel locks - which is displayed in West Kensington by UKBillboards for free for two weeks for all to see.
âMy main inspiration was to inspire my daughter and other girls like her to feel beautiful and confident about their unique hair texture,â explained LĂ©e.
âAnd to help young black people feel valued.â
Commenting on the billboard image on Instagram, followers of the campaign have shown their appreciation.
âFantastic. [Iâve] been following from the beginning. This is so amazing, and what a sight for little girls and boys to see,â one wrote.
In a blog post âCampaign To Dismantle Narrow Beauty Standardsâ, hosted on The Huffington Post UK in February, LĂ©e openly discussed her own relationship with her hair.
âIt never occurred to me that I had a choice,â LĂ©e wrote.
âI endured the pain of a chemical relaxer every four weeks to get my natural afro hair straightened. Mine was four weeks as against the recommended six to eight weeks because my hair wouldnât âtakeâ to the relaxer.
âIt didnât matter that I had sores on my scalp as a result, or that the pain was like putting acid on my skin, or that I got my earlobes burnt every single time despite the thick layer of Vaseline.â
LĂ©e said the procedure left her with the feeling of not being accepted by society - a feeling she doesnât want her daughter to ever experience.
âTo the uninitiated, you will be forgiven for wondering if having straight hair is worth all that pain,â she added.
âYou see while some people might have a bad hair day once in a while, as a black girl you are born with a bad hair day, or so society makes you believe.â
LĂ©e is planning on taking the campaign a step further with planned workshops in schools, seminars for parents and erecting billboards across other UK cities - with the hope of creating change.
âI want more positive visibility and equal representation for afro textured hair so as to ânormaliseâ it, and to start a conversation to address how we can call an end to discrimination against afro hair and all aesthetic discrimination,â she said
You can support the campaign through Project Embraceâs crowdfunding page here.