In a village in Southeastern Africa where people survive on less than a $1 a day,  a woman offers a glimpse of her toothbrush to a photographer (shown), which offers perspective on her day-to-day experiences.

When project manager Anna Rosling-Ronnlund@AnnaGapminder began assembling photographs of everyday objects around the globe for The Dollar Street website (set to launch it 2016) she discovered “a world of inequalities,” according to her presentation at TEDxStockholm Talk.

During her conversation with Rosling-Ronnlund, the Malawi resident extended her index finger toward the camera in answer to the question, “what do you use to brush your teeth?” Her response is representative of the 1.2 billion people within her community. Her toothpaste, abrasive sediments from the mud walls of her hut, which she also uses to scrub dishes and clothing.

“She scrapes some mud off the building, she mixes it with water in her hand, and then she brushes using grains of sand,” Rosling-Rönnlund explained during her presentation.

To view the astounding variety of “toothbrush” photographs representing every rung of the income ladder, which Rosling-Ronnlund hopes will “upend our very notion of luxury,” visit: https://ideas.ted.com/what-our-toothbrushes-tell-us-about-inequality/?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=ideas-blog&utm_term=art-design