Happy Alopecia Awareness Month!
"No matter how I look, I know there’s no limit to what I can do."
Happy September and Alopecia Awareness Month!
First, I wanted to share my latest byline with you all for Variety: Last week, I wrote about how Disney’s 1998 animated Mulan influenced my alopecia journey. Remember that scene where she chops off her hair with a sword? That was the first time I remember feeling inspired by a film, and not just because it was her saying, “Who needs this hair?!” Head over to Variety to read more of my thoughts :)
Second: What’s inspiring you this month? For me, it’s been seeing awesome alopecia-related content posted on Instagram and TikTok (this issue’s Spotlight is a creator I came across on TikTok, and whose content I’ve been loving!). Since we’re all still dealing with the effects the global pandemic has brought us this year, it’s been a nice source of comfort to connect with people through social media. And seeing people share their alopecia journeys – the positive sides and the challenges – has been wonderful.
If you’re new and missed the last issue, catch up here! And if you have anything you want to submit for the newsletter (or want to keep in touch on my socials!) my contact info is at the bottom of each issue.
xo Traci
The local CBS news station in Los Angeles did a profile of model Christie Valdiserri to mark Alopecia Awareness Month! The alopecia community has also been celebrating Christie after her groundbreaking Sports Illustrated spread this summer.
Around the web…
Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s “alopecia selfie flex” had so many people on social media cheering her on and sharing their own alopecia selfies too! Essence has a new profile of the congresswoman up. “For me, I think ultimately it’s about authentically showing up for yourself, and just knowing that I think we all have a responsibility to not only occupy space, but to create space for others,” Pressley told the magazine. “And you get to decide what that looks like for you. But I know for me as a Black woman in politics, that everything I do is political, how I enter a room, how I show up, how I’m dressed, what I wrap these curves in.”
Fleur Scott, 23, has spent this pandemic-induced lockdown creating headpieces using her friends’ hair. She talked with BBC News about what led her to embrace her alopecia, and why she started making these headpieces.
In Edmonton, one mom surprised her 9-year-old daughter Kate with a billboard celebrating Kate’s alopecia! According to CTV News, the billboard is part of a More Than Her Hair campaign, which aims to honor women and girls of all ages living with alopecia.
“We live in a society that tells us, especially women, that no matter how we look, it’s wrong. But my baldness enabled me to give myself permission to reject that narrative.” Author and confidence coach Lizi Jackson-Barrett explained why she wants people to stop calling her “brave” simply for walking out of her house rocking her bald head.
Even though classes have gone virtual, it’s still so important to make sure students feel welcomed. One mom penned a touching essay that was published via Good Morning America about her 5-year-old son who has Down syndrome and alopecia, and what happened on the day they went to her son’s new school to meet his teacher and pick up supplies.
Alopecia &… Spotlight: @xtheromanempire
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Email: alopeciamua@gmail.com
Instagram: @alopeciamua / @traciglee
Twitter: @traciglee
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