Getting married this year? Fancy helping with #HairlossAwareness?

Before I start this post, I must first apologise for the lack of posts in the last couple of days! Work has been manic and whilst I was hoping to write and post a couple of blogs before the weekend, I ran out of time, then gallivanted off to enjoy a wedding in Kent! That is a blog post for another time (yes I find inspiration everywhere), but in the meantime, I have an opportunity for you...

You may or may not know this, but as well as producing a few shows themselves, major TV channels also commission and buy the rights to show programmes from independent TV Production Companies. It's why you see 'produced by' at the end of many TV programmes and it also helps the TV channels keep a rein on their budgets and plan ahead!

Anyway, a few days ago via Twitter (yep, still loving it), I received a mention from Remedy Productions; they tweeted me a picture and asked me to retweet it. See it here...

@PrettyBald Pls RT xx We're looking for beautiful #brides with #Alopecia. Email casting@remedyproductions.tv for info pic.twitter.com/0QlglC10ea

— Remedy Productions (@RemedyTV4) June 2, 2015

I'm sure many people will be hesitant at the idea of sharing their special day and intimate moments with the world! I know I would be / am! However, I want you to put that aside for a minute and think about what it could help achieve.

Alopecia, Trichotillomania, Female Pattern Baldness and every other type of hairloss affect thousands of women (and men) every single year! As well as the physical effects and changes, there's the mental ones and the emotional challenges people face everyday. One of the reasons people struggle so much is a lack of widely-available support and / or research. These 'problems' are aesthetic not life-threatening and therefore are not considered a priority for research or proper support. It is exactly why charities like Alopecia UK and The Little Princess Trust exist, but even they are underfunded and struggle to do everything that they need to.

At best this lack of awareness leaves people without access to the support and help that they need; at worst it can leave people alone and isolated with negative reactions and potentially an impacted self-esteem. One of the ways we can change that is to drive for more awareness. Awareness goes hand in hand with education and education over time will help to improve reactions, encourage additional research, raise additional funds and generally improve the lives of those who suffer with it. It's what I strive for and aspire to do and what I use many opportunities for.

Granted, you may not want to appear on TV, but if you think you are up to it, why not get in touch with them? Jen from Alopecia UK did and it made a huge difference all around the world. If you're not up for TV but think you might be ready to talk about your hairloss, there's lots of other things you can do too! How about:

• Emailing us your #hairloss story so we can share it on this blog?
• Even better, become a regular contributor keeping people updated on your progress
• Email your local newspaper / news website /radio station and ask to share your story. They love hearing real stories
• Share your story on your social media and reveal your true self to friends
• Think about fundraising for a charity, sharing regular updates about your progress
• Whatever else you can think of...

One thing I will add is that you need to do something like this when you are ready; there is no pressure to let it be known that you have a hairloss condition and you may not be ready or want to share that with anyone. That is fine and is something you have to decide for yourself - sharing helped me, but it won't help everyone and that will come down to your personal characteristics and comfort zones! 

If you are getting married this year and you feel you could be involved, do it! If not, don't worry - there will be other opportunities and we will endeavour to share them with you!

Victoria x

www.prettybald.co.uk Twitter: @PrettyBald