We weren't born believing hair makes you pretty, but society has lead us to believe that.

In an empowering move, she took off her wig on the runway.

"Taking my wig off in front of hundreds of people will be a moment I tell my kids about someday!”  Christie Valdiserri told Sports Illustrated. “I was so nervous backstage leading up to the moment but knew in my heart I had to do it. I had to do it for myself, for all the tears I've cried about this condition, for all the girls and women out there who want to rip off their wigs but are too afraid to.”

“I truly believe we need to educate the next generation that beauty comes from who you are, not from what you look like,” Valdiserri said in SI’s post. “Associating hair with beauty was taught to us. We weren't born believing hair makes you pretty, but society has lead us to believe that. So I plan to let my personality and my positive nature shine through regardless of if I ever have hair on my head again.”

SOURCE: USA Today. You can read the full article here.