Comment

Comment by Dara L.Strickland on October 27, 2009 at 2:02pm

Hi Carol & Mary,
You are such beautiful ladies and its so good to know that there are others out there that have the courage to step outside societal norms whether by illness or choice and embrace this new look. Carol, you are so right about not waiting for others approval & reaction, however, it difficult at times. Family, friends and my relationship with Christ helps put all this perspective. I am blessed and my baldness is a blessing as well. Mary, I'll look into buying some nice scarves.

Comment by Carol Solis on October 27, 2009 at 1:36pm

Like my partner says once you stop looking for peoples approval and stop looking into their eyes waiting for a reaction, you do just forget about it and for me it really does seem so natural to be bald most times, I have forgotten that this is not a typical look for most women, but for me like the other ladies here it is my look , Hello Dara, And Hello to all my Sisters again

Comment by Mary on October 27, 2009 at 12:42am

Good for you, Dara! I feel the same way you do...once I resigned myself to this new me, it's really gotten easier. I actually enjoy feeling "different" and "exotic". You look beautiful.

Yes, my head gets cold sometimes, too. I carry something in my purse wherever I am...one of my Turkish scarves, or one of those knit caps from Hats With Heart in different colors. If I get chilly, I put something on.

Comment by Dara L.Strickland on October 26, 2009 at 8:15pm

Hi all,
Its been a while, I've been running around like a chicken with its feathers gone lol. Only a few people have asked why I have no hair and I explain its do to chronic illness. Some folks just look, stare or gawk, but many love the look. At my 30th anniversary party I was a bit nervous about wearing a gown and no hair to wear an updo. Cortez and our guest loved the look and I was the belle of the ball. I'm becoming very comfortable about my appearance. The doctor says my hair will never grow back in certain areas due to scar tissue so I've resigned myself to this new me and to love it! Telling those who ask why is my way of informing them of autoimmune diseases. I have one problem though, my head is always cold :)

Comment by Cheryl, Co-founder on October 26, 2009 at 4:14pm

Hi Sonia, Last week alone I spoke to 3 different women, who actually had cancer. Either they commented on my "hairdo" and told me I was courageous or I asked them about theirs. Like Mary I see it as an opportunity to let others know that cancer is not the only reason that you will see a bald woman. I see it as I spoke to 3 woman about cancer and all went away knowing that they next time they see a bald woman it could be cancer OR alopecia, not to mention who they may speak to. I think it is the beginning of the end of people believing that we must have cancer. And soon the questions we may get is, "Do you have alopecia or cancer?" This is only going to happen when more and more people know about alopecia. For those of us who chose to no longer wear wig for personal reason, in a way without even trying we have become spokeswomen. People are going to ask us questions, especially since they see you comfortable in your condition.

Comment by Mary on October 25, 2009 at 11:38am

It's a problem all of us "publicly" bald gals have, Sonia - people that approach and offer their sympathy and ask what kind of cancer we have! It bugged me so much for awhile.

I've gotten to the point that I see it as a GOOD thing, most of the time. I feel like every person who sees me and learns that not EVERY bald woman is sick, is one more person who GETS IT and who will maybe tell other people. Consciousness raising!

To help shorten the explanations, I've been handing out cards that I print. You can buy business card stock and print on an inkjet printer if you have one at home. If you don't have a printer, you could probably get a bunch printed up for not too much cost. Here's what mine say (the italic and other fonts I use don't show up here):

FRONT SIDE:

It's not cancer, it's not contagious
IT'S ALOPECIA AREATA

An auto-immune disease affecting 2%
of the population.

Thank you and have a nice day.

REVERSE SIDE:

Check out my videos on YouTube
about Alopecia Areata:

"Living a Bald Life"

"Announcing the National Bald Out!"

"National Bald Out 2009"

Comment by sonia on October 25, 2009 at 11:21am

cheers mary, my new prob is i'm getting a little fed up explaining what aa is to every kind hearted soul that asks, i not the town cryer for alopecia....gosh i hope that dont sound too harsh

Comment by Mary on October 25, 2009 at 11:04am

Welcome to the wonderful Sisterhood, Sonia!! Isn't the feeling of liberation incredible?! No more worrying about people finding out.

You might also enjoy the National Bald Out Group.

Congratulations and best wishes,
Mary

Comment by sonia on October 25, 2009 at 10:04am

hay ladies hope your well today, i'm all shiney and new to the group, so my story is....last year after dealing with the odd patch and doing a good cover up job with ponytails not telling anyone (denile is bliss) all the patches started to join up, i was terrified someone at work would spot it and start asking questions i was'nt ready for, so time passed and so did the hair i was getting cheesed off with hiding so i said hello to lots of glasses of wine and shaved my head completly WOW the elation the freedom, that followed brought me to my knees in tears. i accepted the alopcia, the next day i stood in front of my work colleges and whipped my hat off to give them quiet a surprise. the worst was over and i learnt losing all my hair gave me balls i didnt know i had. dare i say there is a silver lining . thanks for your time

Comment by Carol Solis on October 17, 2009 at 7:42pm

Good for you Linda, I really do think plenty of women look stunning bald, It just shows so many features that most people hide behind hair. Im glad It went well for you. And Pam It is nice to have a no shaving dome isnt it?

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