When i lost my hair my son was seven. He found it funny more than anything (which made it easier for me to explain as he wasn't really bothered by it, he just wanted to know i was ok).
When i first shaved off the remainder of my hair i wore hats and i could do this with ease as it was winter and cold.
A few months later i decided to branch into wearing scarves. It was a massive step for me and a lot of my friends didn't like it as they said it made me look ill (way to go for the confidence boost eh!) .
When i started wearing wigs my friends would want to touch them and comment on every single wig i wore.
One thing i noticed though is my sons friends never seemed to notice.
Even to this day one of his friends sisters (who compliments me weekly on my choice of hair) didn't know until my son told her i wore a wig as i have alopecia and once she asked me i explained that it was because of alopecia and i had lost my hair she said "oh well that's a big shame but you still look very pretty". She's 9
The stark difference came a week later when i was in superdrug and the woman serving me (who knows i have alopecia) asked if my hair was a wig still. It was because she had seen me in the same one a few weeks running and thought my hair had grown back (it was short so would have been plausible). I explained that, no it was still a wig, and she was shocked. She then launched in to a story of a woman who had gotten one made and how fake it looked and didn't look good as mine. She then asked how much chemo I'd had.
I was really taken aback. This lady knows i have alopecia and i didn't get why she'd even ask that.
Come to think of it i don't see why anyone asks that. I don't understand why women who choose to go without a wig or covering on their bald head get stared at or questioned by strangers. We know we are bald. We see it every day in the mirror and i really do admire women who have that confidence.
No person should ever made to feel like they are there to be stared at because of their appearance. There is no need for random questions or assumptions.
But the biggest bugbear of mine is that it's from adults. Kids don't react like adults can do. They have such innocence and accept people no matter what.
The only hope i have is that as the awareness of alopecia grows that the ignorance of some people dissappears
Jenny x
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