Beauty Plus

Beauty Plus commemorates the closure of the 31 year-old, second Black-owned beauty supply in New Haven, Connecticut. Over three months, Ross documented the store's final days with her 4 x 5 film camera, honoring owner Mel, while revealing a layered narrative of small business ownership, communal care, and Black survival. Though these spaces provide empowerment and access, they also reflect the commodification of Black bodies, highlighting the tension between liberation and dependency. Brands like Motions and Posner, though not Black-owned, similarly shaped Black beauty rituals, demonstrating the complicated economics of cultural identity: affirmed, yet often monetized and challenged by outsiders.