Thank you for this. I have MS-medication triggered Alopecia Areata, which has gone in and out of totalis for the last 10 years. I shave often and wear my bald head like a crown, though I'm a Leo, so I also play with wigs for a different vibe sometimes. I have been misgendered, treated with pity and told how "lucky" I am to look good without hair. As a White woman, I have been welcomed into mostly Black spaces where hair and wigs are the topic and I am grateful. Bald women only seem to fit a narrative of illness, not liberation. Once I detached from my hair, I felt invincible.
My older self has finally embraced my hips and mom tummy. Finally feel grateful to walk the earth with my perfectly imperfect beloved body. Ty for this!
I relate. Similar cancer journey in 2007. Now cancer free. After treatment, my once thick hair came back thin on top. I didn’t realize it until I saw a picture of my head from the back. I’d had my locs re-started and thought I was cute. Those huge swaths of naked scalp between locs were not cute.
Then I thought I’d wear it in a fro like I’d worn since the 70s to make it look thicker. Sometimes I slicked it back and added a long fluffy ponytail. I got tired of fooling with it.
Now I wear what I call my version of a comb over. A high top fade. Saved on the sides a tall puff on top.
Thank you. I am humbled. Let's stop supporting the consumerism and capitalism the judges' women's hair and bodies for commercial profits. It will take the entire female village to accept the hair given at birth.
Dr. Walker-Barnes, I have a similar hair journey story. I shave my hair now once a month because I like wigs. Usually in the summer I just go without any covering on my head. Most of the women in my family are bald so we just rock it. When I wear wigs people want to know how I look without it.😂 I just add that to the ridiculousness of folks. Thanks for sharing ❤️
Thank you for this. I have MS-medication triggered Alopecia Areata, which has gone in and out of totalis for the last 10 years. I shave often and wear my bald head like a crown, though I'm a Leo, so I also play with wigs for a different vibe sometimes. I have been misgendered, treated with pity and told how "lucky" I am to look good without hair. As a White woman, I have been welcomed into mostly Black spaces where hair and wigs are the topic and I am grateful. Bald women only seem to fit a narrative of illness, not liberation. Once I detached from my hair, I felt invincible.
My older self has finally embraced my hips and mom tummy. Finally feel grateful to walk the earth with my perfectly imperfect beloved body. Ty for this!
I relate. Similar cancer journey in 2007. Now cancer free. After treatment, my once thick hair came back thin on top. I didn’t realize it until I saw a picture of my head from the back. I’d had my locs re-started and thought I was cute. Those huge swaths of naked scalp between locs were not cute.
Then I thought I’d wear it in a fro like I’d worn since the 70s to make it look thicker. Sometimes I slicked it back and added a long fluffy ponytail. I got tired of fooling with it.
Now I wear what I call my version of a comb over. A high top fade. Saved on the sides a tall puff on top.
It’s amazing how, in our compassion for others, we are naive to the loss of passing-on peace. Thank for this!
Thank you. I am humbled. Let's stop supporting the consumerism and capitalism the judges' women's hair and bodies for commercial profits. It will take the entire female village to accept the hair given at birth.
Dr. Walker-Barnes, I have a similar hair journey story. I shave my hair now once a month because I like wigs. Usually in the summer I just go without any covering on my head. Most of the women in my family are bald so we just rock it. When I wear wigs people want to know how I look without it.😂 I just add that to the ridiculousness of folks. Thanks for sharing ❤️