When I said I wanted to do this, only two people said go for it. Most were shocked, some asked why, some said “go ahead but I’m not helping”, and some tried to stop me just like when I wanted to cut my hair short about a year ago.
But it is only hair and all I wanted to do was to break a social and cultural construct – it wasn’t even going to be permanent.
What about those with terminal illness who fought or are fighting the battle, and their loved ones? What about those who lost their lives innocently in MH17 and the countless wars – old and new – that I do not fully understand? What about those who are not respected and treated as human beings just because of their gender, sexuality or ethnicity? Thinking about these things, I simply could not put conforming to social expectations ahead of any of them.
This was done during Shave or Style for Macmillan campaign, so please donate.
Money is not everything, but it helps – help me help those who need it.
I have also donated my hair to Little Princess Trust.
(Thank you to all those who will donate or have donated money.)
And can I ask that when you look at me again, please also donate your thoughts to those who had no choice but to lose hair, to those who were victims of someone else’s war, and to those who had to suffer from inequality for just being themselves.
Humanity could really do with one less piece of judgement based on myths that no longer matter, and make “women with no hair” one of them.
Notes:
1. Thank you to Ki Lee, Creative Director of Hurwundeki (Hackney, London) for supporting the cause on the spot, provided professional shaving service to me in kind and said, “This was the best shave I’ve done in my entire career.”
2. I imagined the shave to be much shorter – near bald – but wavered because Ki suggested a longer length… This was already a notch shorter than he originally suggested, so I thought let’s just leave it as that for now. If I do not get enough donations, I will shave it all off myself.
3. I am more than just lucky because neither I nor my loved ones have experienced cancer, terminal illness, plane crashes, war or inequality. I have choices and friends with gold hearts and make miracles. Tango, Adam, Martin, Izzy, Filip & Tim: I am eternally grateful for your friendship.
4. Thank you, Tango, for all behind the scene materials:
– An unedited video of the head shaving process: http://youtu.be/RhULfW4Px2k.
– An edited video: http://youtu.be/c9uM-yhh-9U
Before and after of head shaving