Comment by Tuesday on August 31, 2016 at 9:01am

"I am curious if anyone else has had any experiences, good or bad, living in another country with alopecia."

I  am glad Montreal has provided such a positive experience. I'm Canadian and i'm guessing the size and cosmopolitan nature of Montreal has been a very good environment for being bald.   I lived in Hamilton for about 10 years and although it was a large size - found people would stare. The funny thing is - the most common sector of people would stare at my bare head would be the young, tattooed teens.  Beneath their apparent rebellious decorations, they were obviously status quo.    I live in an extremely small town now and wear scarves or wigs.  Some people stare, I am not sure if it's any different than a big city, though.  I have stopped in very small towns during road trips and sometimes encounter many many stares - at the scarf I'm wearing (and my scarves are pretty so it's not the actual scarf).  I guess these people don't get out much?  

Comment by Marie-Claire Lirette on August 31, 2016 at 9:10am

Bienvenue à Montréal.
From one alopecian to another.
Marie Claire

Comment by Zimrie on August 31, 2016 at 10:07am

I've found most people who approach me to ask questions think I had cancer and the ones who have had it feel connected to each other and assume that I would like to talk.  

I've had them say things like "Oh that's a pretty scarf" and then sometimes they go to the other extreme and say, "What is that thing on your head?"  

Only in some rare cases does someone really intend to be rude.   I think the general public should remember that people with a handicap want to get through the shopping line as fast as everyone else and cashiers should not hold them up to talk about their illness and this is only one example of what people do when they're don't realize what they're doing.

Comment by Solange De Santis on August 31, 2016 at 11:32am

I think Montrealers, like New Yorkers, pride themselves on being sophisticated and unflappable. I just participated in a large-scale choral work at Lincoln Center with my au naturel look and nobody asked me a thing. 

Comment by Cheryl, Co-founder on September 8, 2016 at 11:18pm

I am from Montreal but moved to the Detroit area and I have found the same level of acceptance.  In fact, I found that Americans were more likely to give positive feedback as with Canadians they just really didn't make any comment at all.   It may have more to do with it being a cosmopolitan city.

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