“Once a year, hundreds of women with thousands of feet of hair flood into a Lithuanian arena for the World’s Longest Hair competition – a folkloric beauty pageant where obsession, tradition and identity converge.”

Drawn to the surreal spectacle, British photographer Francesca Allen travelled to the event (known locally as Konkursas Pasaulio Ilgaplaukės) with a Lithuanian friend to document the competition firsthand. Her resulting series, Plaukai (Lithuanian for “hair”), captures some of the nearly 200 participants - from young girls with untouched locks, to older women whose hair pools at their feet - as they walk the runway, get measured by gloved judges and take part in a ritualistic finale that must be seen to be believed.

Featuring a text by Frankie Dunn exploring the emotional, cultural and generational significance of long hair in 2025.