A nice experience at the gym - Rock the bald look, get jewelry from strangers

I had a really nice experience today at the gym that I want to share. I was wearing my tank top that I had made on Cafe Press. On the front it says: "Yes, I'm bald...get over it." On the back it says: "No hair. No problem." As usual, my bald head was uncovered. I was most of the way through my weight training.

A woman I don't know came up to me and took off her necklace and handed it to me. It's a beautiful, delicate silver piece. She told me that her sister is a jewelry designer, and that she wanted me to have it. I was surprised, thanked her, and added something to the effect of "...but, I don't have cancer." She responded that it doesn't matter; that I'm "out". She asked me about my hair loss and I briefly explained. She had heard of the National Bald Out on the local news, and I told her I was the one who started that. Then we both got back to our workouts.

An experience like this makes up for the little kids that point and giggle at a bald lady, or the people who occasionally won't stop staring (I came up with the "Yes, I'm bald...get over it" for these types.) It made my day, and I'm sure I'll remember the positive feelings whenever I wear the necklace.

Every time a woman goes out in public bald, we become less invisible, and the day gets closer where we'll all feel free to have the same choices that men have: to wear a wig or hairpiece, OR to go uncovered.

Views: 52

Comment by Margarita on December 10, 2009 at 1:18am
Wow awesome Mary! I love how you made shirts too!
Comment by Mary on December 10, 2009 at 1:23am
Thanks, Margarita. I had another experience today - same gym, same outfit plus the new necklace.... A woman approached me and asked whether I have Alopecia. After I got over being stunned that someone actually knew what it was, I said yes and she said "you look way too healthy to have cancer"! Made my day.
Comment by Denise on January 21, 2010 at 4:46pm
Mary, way to go. I haven't gotten there yet, keep up the gret job,.
Comment by Mary on January 25, 2010 at 7:20pm
Thanks, Denise. I've been out of Internet contact for a few weeks.
Comment by Andrea on January 25, 2010 at 8:10pm
This made my day. It's nice to know that people like that exist.
Comment by Mary on February 11, 2010 at 6:06pm
Thanks, Lily! I went "really" bald on a trip to Hawaii 2 weeks after shaving my head...it was good to be in a totally different locale. I took a wig along, but it was way too hot to wear it.

I print the cards at home myself on easy-to-use business card stock that you can buy. Please feel free to copy and adapt to your own use. It's good to have them. One side says (with Bold type and italics that I can't put here):


"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."
The other side says:

"Check out my videos on YouTube
about Alopecia Areata:

Living a Bald Life

Announcing the National Bald Out!

National Bald Out 2009"
Comment by Susan VanOrder on March 17, 2010 at 9:20am
I love reading the comments, I do wear wigs in public but at home I am mostly always bald. I have had many people when I go to the beach and wear just a ball cap stop me and say things like, "I know what you are going through", assuming I have cancer. I then explain to them that I have alopecia and they do seem dissapointed or less compassionate. I have been struggling with this because I have even had people who work for the cancer society react the same way when they ask if you are a survivor, of course they mean of cancer, but my comment is, I am a survivor of medical hairloss and that it is not revelent as to why I lost it. Yes, I agree that we most of the time our hairloss is permanent and therefore whe have to deal with it on a regular basis. Thank you for your comments.
Comment by Mary on March 17, 2010 at 9:31am
Yes, Susan, it's hard to know how to react when you get the feeling that people are disappointed when they find out we're not cancer patients. But, more often than not, I find that other women who have had cancer feel very positive by the sight of a bald woman in public. For people who haven't had cancer, I find that telling them that I'm permanently bald gets across to them that this is something to survive, too. I frequently say something like "If you have to have an auto-immune disease, this is the one to have because I feel fine."

Yesterday I was at the gym wearing my "Yes, I'm bald...get over it." tank top that I had made, and a couple of quite nice-looking men (with hair) came up and complimented me on it. They were a lot younger than I am, so I'm sure they weren't flirting (LOL), but they seemed to genuinely mean it.
Comment by Sam Sam on March 17, 2010 at 2:28pm
"Every time a woman goes out in public bald, we become less invisible, and the day gets closer where we'll all feel free to have the same choices that men have: to wear a wig or hairpiece, OR to go uncovered." Thank you for sharing this with me!!!
Comment by Mary on March 17, 2010 at 2:43pm
I'm so happy to have yet another woman who believes this! There are more of us on AW all the time. Share the thought!

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