Alopecia World
www.alopeciaworld.com
There's no shame in alopecia
On the NAAF feed on Facebook this morning there is a fantastic picture of the Disney princesses sans hair. It made me smile and got me thinking...
I was watching Shrek the other night with my kids. It was the movie with the princesses (Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Cinderella...Shrek II perhaps?) The main villainess turns out to be Rapunzel coupled with that Nasty Prince Charming. As Shrek and Fiona conquer all things evil including the dubious Rapunzel and Charming, what should happen to Rapunzel...Her wig of long, lustrous hair falls off leaving her bald, humiliated, and the laughing joke for characters and audience alike to snicker at.
How often have we seen this replayed on various sitcoms, comedic movies and riduculed by any comic who stands a chance for audience approval?!
When I first lost my hair and HAD to RESORT to a hairpiece I felt like the Rapunzel scene in Shrek...just add shame to it and there was my reaction to the dreaded W_I_G! Confidence evaporated, eyes diverting downward to the street, and stomach quezy. Everytime I would see Donald Trump's hair being made fun of (and his is NOT a hairpiece) or any wisecrack to the aging man losing hair I kept thinking...there I am the butt of this joke!
I don't think that anymore...it took alot of time, and self actualization and coming to accept everything to do with alopecia. But how does one go about changing this perspective that floats out there?
-
Comment by Tallgirl on December 20, 2011 at 12:58pm
-
Humans love to inflate themselves by putting down or laughing at anyone who they think made an error (even football stars, movie stars and politicians)or who has a physical difference, no matter how minor. Characturists thrive on this. You won't change human nature in a million years, particularly those humans who are stupid or want to impress friends with nasty cleverness in their taunts. Even talk show hosts mock speech, sexual orientation, or goals of others. I overheard a Mormon teen leader once getting laughs using toupee and fat jokes in his speech to teens. Nothing is sacred to these people, especially if they are "good looking." The way I handle this is ONLY associating with people who are kind in almost every way, about almost everything. The rest I ignor.
-
Comment by Figarosmom on December 20, 2011 at 1:01pm
-
AMEN! I am so glad you mentioned this because these images popped into my mind on more than one occasion since my diagnosis. And I wondered "why is this funny?" It implies there is some value statement to the person who has no hair, meaning they have less value. Nothing is further from the truth. My value has nothing to do with my hair. Not to mention, there isn't a person on here who has any control over what their hair is doing. People loose there hair. Period. Just like they loose their hearing or sight. But why should I feel ashamed about this? I mean really!
-
Comment by Norm on December 20, 2011 at 1:30pm
-
Like TG says, it's not just hair (or lack of) that people poke fun at - if someone wants to try and look good, or get a laugh, they'll often do it at someone else's expense. I find that kind of thing pretty lame, to be honest.... if someone can't get ahead on their own merits, or get laughs by being genuinely amusing, and not by implying "I'm better than..." or "aren't they funny", then they actually DROP in my estimation.
Now, has anyone seen that really funny picture of..... ;)
Comment
© 2024 Created by Alopecia World.
Powered by
You need to be a member of Alopecia World to add comments!
Join Alopecia World