“It has been said, ‘time heals all wounds.’ I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissues and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.” – Rose Kennedy.

When I think about space and time, it reminds me of my past, my future, and who I am now. I think of myself and how others might view me. This is an internal way of interpreting the theme this year, but it seems to be the way I interpret every theme. For the past four years, I have been struggling through a medical condition called Alopecia Areata; the loss of hair in many patches on my scalp. No one really knows why it happens to some people, but there are some guesses that it can occur when someone is under copious amounts of stress, or has quite an anxious or worried mind.

Although this condition I have is not viral or detrimental to my overall physical health, it affects the way I see myself compared to other girls my age. In the media, girls are encouraged and told that hair is the best accessory you could have. Having hair on the top of your head is very important to many girls like me because it is thought of as a sign of femininity and beauty. When I see advertisements around me telling me that my hair is one of the keys to beauty and happiness, and the people around you suggest that the absence of hair on women’s heads is not okay and it should be hidden, I begin to feel like I am not good enough if my hair doesn’t live up to society’s standards.

After dealing with this condition and trying to hide it for a long time, I have decided that I want to show I really am; a young woman who is strong with or without her hair. Don’t think this wasn’t scary because it was terrifying to put myself out there but I knew that if I didn’t now, I would always have to live with this condition weighing down on my confidence and my future. In this collaged self-portrait, I show photographs of myself in both negative and positive gestures. There is an intended flow in the picture starting at the top left of the collage, moving to the middle right, and ending in the bottom left area. The three pictures send a message that I am more than my hair and whoever thinks its unattractive and revolting, I simply cannot do anything more to change the state of my hair.

At one point, my Alopecia was a wound I could not heal but over time I have learnt to accept it and realize that I am more than a couple patches of hair missing on my head. I am Sylvia, not my hair.

I have learned that even though it is very difficult to expose a part of yourself for the first time, it is worthwhile because in the end I felt a humongous weight lifted from my shoulders. That was a message that I did the right thing; staying true to myself and opening up has been the best part of this year so far.

Time does in fact heal all wounds. In my case the wounds left in my mind about my worth and esteem have been healed. Also in good news, while in the process of making this piece my hair has been slowly growing back! Now I finally feel ready to let go of that ponytail that is hiding all of my spots and let my hair down to show the world that my hair does not define who I am.

Sincerely, Sylvia