So as you may have spotted, we're appearing on the @Chelt52 Twitter Handle this week! @Chelt52 is pitched as a 'rotation curation' social media account, with a different Twitter user taking the reins each week and giving an insight into those who live and work in Gloucestershire. Some keep it local and some share more topic-specific stuff, but every single week is different! It's great!
Although I am local (based in Cheltenham), much of what I do, follow and care about has a national footing! Hopefully, the organisers (and you gorgeous @Chelt52 followers) will let me off for giving things a subject / national twist along the way...!
Pretty Bald was launched to raise awareness of Alopecia, change society perceptions of hairloss and importantly, fundraise for charity including Alopecia UK and the Little Princess Trust.
This week, I'll be working to give @Chelt52 followers an insight into what it's like to be a girl without hair, how you can help, what needs to change and importantly what we want to happen. We'll also throw in a sprinkling of the things I love locally and of course other accounts I love to follow!
I hope you enjoy! I'm certainly going to!
Victoria x
www.prettybald.co.uk
Twitter: @PrettyBald
Showing posts with label The Little Princess Trust. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Little Princess Trust. Show all posts
Sunday, 6 September 2015
My plans for @Chelt52...
Pretty Bald is an online resource for those suffering from hairloss. Sharing real-life stories, product reviews and up-to-date information for alopecians and cancer patients. We also sell products not-for-profit at www.prettybald.co.uk, raising money for charity. Posts from this account come from Victoria, alopecian x
Monday, 8 June 2015
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...
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:
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
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
Pretty Bald is an online resource for those suffering from hairloss. Sharing real-life stories, product reviews and up-to-date information for alopecians and cancer patients. We also sell products not-for-profit at www.prettybald.co.uk, raising money for charity. Posts from this account come from Victoria, alopecian x
Friday, 8 May 2015
GUEST POST: Making the cut; cutting long locks for charity...
This post is about donating your hair to charity and has kindly be written by my work colleague Kirsten - enjoy!
About a month ago after a night out, my friend Emily decided that she wanted to cut her hair off after she woke up with it smelling of smoke and in such a knot that it took her a good ten minutes to brush out. She decided that if she had to get it cut off then she at least would do something wise with it.
Currently, Emily and I live together and seeing as I see her every day without fail I can tell you this. Emily ADORES her hair. She hardly gets it cut in fear of the hairdresser's. She spends a lot of time grooming it and making sure it looks good. She spends over half an hour in the shower, then another hour blowdrying it and straightening it. I’m happy to announce that, although it took as hell of a lot of swaying back and forth, she decided to get her hair cut, and I couldn’t be happier. Not only for my own selfish purposes, but also because she has decided that the hair that gets the chop will be donated to had charity called “The Little Princess Trust.”
The Little Princess Trust is a children’s cancer charity that specialises in supplying real hair wigs to children suffering with cancer for the duration of their treatment. They also assist children with other conditions which result in hairloss; the most common being Alopecia. Their hope is that the gesture will help the child and family, whilst they decide on long-term plans for dealing with this condition.
Well done Emily; I'm just going to leave the link to Emily’s Just Giving page, just in case.
https://www.justgiving.com/emily-weall/
In the meantime, you can get in touch with The Little Princess Trust to see about donating your hair.
Kirsten x
www.prettybald.co.uk
Twitter: @PrettyBald
About a month ago after a night out, my friend Emily decided that she wanted to cut her hair off after she woke up with it smelling of smoke and in such a knot that it took her a good ten minutes to brush out. She decided that if she had to get it cut off then she at least would do something wise with it.
Currently, Emily and I live together and seeing as I see her every day without fail I can tell you this. Emily ADORES her hair. She hardly gets it cut in fear of the hairdresser's. She spends a lot of time grooming it and making sure it looks good. She spends over half an hour in the shower, then another hour blowdrying it and straightening it. I’m happy to announce that, although it took as hell of a lot of swaying back and forth, she decided to get her hair cut, and I couldn’t be happier. Not only for my own selfish purposes, but also because she has decided that the hair that gets the chop will be donated to had charity called “The Little Princess Trust.”
The Little Princess Trust is a children’s cancer charity that specialises in supplying real hair wigs to children suffering with cancer for the duration of their treatment. They also assist children with other conditions which result in hairloss; the most common being Alopecia. Their hope is that the gesture will help the child and family, whilst they decide on long-term plans for dealing with this condition.
Well done Emily; I'm just going to leave the link to Emily’s Just Giving page, just in case.
https://www.justgiving.com/emily-weall/
In the meantime, you can get in touch with The Little Princess Trust to see about donating your hair.
Kirsten x
Pretty Bald is an online resource for those suffering from hairloss. Sharing real-life stories, product reviews and up-to-date information for alopecians and cancer patients. We also sell products not-for-profit at www.prettybald.co.uk, raising money for charity. Posts from this account come from Victoria, alopecian x
Wednesday, 6 May 2015
Five bald celebrities stories for you...
When you google 'Bald Celebrities' or other similar phrases, it's not a surprise that quite a lot of men come up, from Bruce Willis to Anthony Carrigan, but there are plenty of women too! Baldness can be a lifestyle choice or a medical condition, and each show that being bald is beautiful. Hair loss in particular affects at least 50% of women, and 40% of men have noticeable hair loss by age 35. Here's some of my fave / most interesting celebrity baldness stories...
Pop Star - Jessie J
In 2013 Jessie J decided to shave her entire head of hair for Comic Relief, and she rocked the look for around about three months before she decided to grow it back. She told Glamour Magazine, “There’s no point in shaving your head for charity if you’re going to grow it back the next day”. She also said that she had to shave her head at least three times a week because it kept growing back. Jessie J donated her hair to support The Little Princess Trust.
Actress - Sofia Vassilieva
Although hers isn’t an overly well-known name, a lot of people will recognise her as playing Kate, a cancer-ridden teenager in 'My Sisters Keeper'. Vassilieva decided to shave her whole head for the film, and had her hair made into a wig that she donated to a charity called “Locks of Love”.
Designer - Victoria Beckham
Whilst you definitely won't peg her as a baldy, a few years ago Victoria Beckham’s hair started thinning just after she had her little girl, Harper. She attempted to keep her hair from falling out further by stocking up on various hair loss remedies and supplements but at the time, nothing worked apparently.
Basketball Player - Michael Jordan
As soon as Michael Jordan started thinning on top, he made the decision to shave. Jordan was so confident in his look that he started claiming that he was the reason why shaving your head became trendy in the first place. Shaving your head is now perceived as one of the best ways of dealing with male baldness.
Actor - Evan Handler
Evan Handler lost his hair after a battle with leukaemia when he was 24. There is usually a high chance that hair will grow back after treatment however Handler’s didn’t. He commented saying “I hoped my hair would grow back for a long time, but when it became clear that it would not, I shaved off whatever grew there. I am now known for the way that I look.” He also said that when you’re fighting for your life, you come out of it realising that hairloss isn’t the end of the world.
So there you have it, my top five male and female celebrity baldness stories!
Victoria x
www.prettybald.co.uk Twitter: @PrettyBald
Pop Star - Jessie J
In 2013 Jessie J decided to shave her entire head of hair for Comic Relief, and she rocked the look for around about three months before she decided to grow it back. She told Glamour Magazine, “There’s no point in shaving your head for charity if you’re going to grow it back the next day”. She also said that she had to shave her head at least three times a week because it kept growing back. Jessie J donated her hair to support The Little Princess Trust.
Actress - Sofia Vassilieva
Although hers isn’t an overly well-known name, a lot of people will recognise her as playing Kate, a cancer-ridden teenager in 'My Sisters Keeper'. Vassilieva decided to shave her whole head for the film, and had her hair made into a wig that she donated to a charity called “Locks of Love”.
Designer - Victoria Beckham
Whilst you definitely won't peg her as a baldy, a few years ago Victoria Beckham’s hair started thinning just after she had her little girl, Harper. She attempted to keep her hair from falling out further by stocking up on various hair loss remedies and supplements but at the time, nothing worked apparently.
Basketball Player - Michael Jordan
As soon as Michael Jordan started thinning on top, he made the decision to shave. Jordan was so confident in his look that he started claiming that he was the reason why shaving your head became trendy in the first place. Shaving your head is now perceived as one of the best ways of dealing with male baldness.
Actor - Evan Handler
Evan Handler lost his hair after a battle with leukaemia when he was 24. There is usually a high chance that hair will grow back after treatment however Handler’s didn’t. He commented saying “I hoped my hair would grow back for a long time, but when it became clear that it would not, I shaved off whatever grew there. I am now known for the way that I look.” He also said that when you’re fighting for your life, you come out of it realising that hairloss isn’t the end of the world.
So there you have it, my top five male and female celebrity baldness stories!
Victoria x
www.prettybald.co.uk Twitter: @PrettyBald
Pretty Bald is an online resource for those suffering from hairloss. Sharing real-life stories, product reviews and up-to-date information for alopecians and cancer patients. We also sell products not-for-profit at www.prettybald.co.uk, raising money for charity. Posts from this account come from Victoria, alopecian x
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