So, as some of you know, I've wanted to shave my hair off for a while. I first thought I'd do it at school but all girl independent schools aren't that into having bald pupils. In fact even as a teacher of a state owned co-ed school it was suggested that maybe it wouldn't be an appropriate course of action. Very sad. It's only hair, why does out society place such value on it?
I guess being bald has associations with skin heads, stereotypically aggressive types, we have however come a long way from this, you get many, many, very nice friendly bald people. I suppose people going into prisons, and concentration camps according to my father, have their hair shaved. So maybe there's an association with law breaking, with rebellion, or even with suffering. There is also an association with hair loss and aging, something a lot of people want to avoid an association with. And I suppose the final thing people want to dissociate from is with illness. People who go through chemotherapy lose their hair. People who are ill often have lackluster hair and may even suffer hair loss. And whether we like it, people judge us on our appearance, and that includes our hair. Most boyfriends I've had have told me they find me more attractive with long hair, they encourage me to grow it. We live in this patriarchal world where the undertones of society are informing women are attractive with long hair but not short.
I don't feel the need to defend being human, if you see someone with scraggly hair and a pale face (like mine, sometimes jaundiced looking) you may form the impression that that person is not well. You've made a judgement on the information that you're senses have picked up. Sometimes when I see bald people I wonder if they've had chemotherapy but to make an accurate judgement I would have to speak to that person to understand why they don't have hair. (Unfortunately i worry sometimes that starting these conversations may appear rude... bloody rules of society and social intercourse!) We all make first impressions, but then letting those first impressions get in the way of treating that person as a fellow human being, from getting to know a person, is ridiculous.
I'm not the type of person who avoid others based on how they like to have their hair. I don't prejudice against people and it appears that a large majority of society still does. And I guess those who would encourage me NOT to cut my hair are trying to protect me, they don't want people to mistake me for an aggressive type, from an ill person, maybe some don't want me to be thought by others as being a lesbian because they are known to often have short hair. It's a shame in society that we form these prejudices, I am not so naïve to be unaware of them, but at the same time, I don't really care about them. If someone doesn't take the time to know me to discover who I am then why do I care what opinions they form? I quite enjoy the fact that I look like something I'm not. I'm fighting the laws of prejudices. I am one of the reasons we shouldn't form prejudices against others, and you should all be too.
Anyway, as I place little value on looking stereotypically girly, as I go through phases with my hair anyway, as I'm not at a stage in my life where my status is preventing me from doing so, as I want to help people, as i have less than 5% grey hair and haven't dyed it, I am in a unique position to be able to raise money to cut my hair off so it can be used to make a wig for a person who does place high value on hair and their appearance. I want to help a person who has had to go through life threatening and life changing treatment, who has lost their confidence and then has society telling them because they suffered from cancer and had treatment they are no longer attractive. I am so supportive of those confident to go through their life bald and not wearing wigs, but i can totally understand those who don't want to do this. I also want to raise funds to help children who have cancers receive treatment and have a good time! The Child Cancer Foundation provides economic and emotional support to children and their families at this difficult time. I want to raise $2000 dollars to help them do this.
Here's a picture of me now:
Here's my web page to donate money!
http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/MaryMcintoshgoesbald/
Here's the charity I've chosen to raise funds for
http://www.childcancer.org.nz/
I'll post some after pictures later....
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