One year ago, I did the craziest, most fearless thing I have ever done – I shaved my head. Honestly, being able to follow through with this taught me a lot about myself, because I just didn’t think I had the courage to do it. I thought I was going to back out and just dream that one day I would have the guts. I have always personally defined ‘fearless’ as being a very attainable thing, regardless of having fears. It doesn’t mean you can’t be fearful, or that you have to get rid of or suppress your fears. It’s having fears, but pushing past them, testing them and yourself.
Prior to shaving my head and even a little bit after, I did a ton of research. I watched videos of bald girls and read their blog posts. They would talk about things they experienced being bald and what has happened that they didn’t expect. A lot of the things they said, I would have never imagined happening to me, but they have!
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People Give You Things // Feel Sorry for You
The day after shaving my head, I had an extensive 7-hour long surgery, part of the reasoning behind the shave. I never really thought about the fact that not only would I be a bald girl, but I would also have some gnarly scars in my head that would leave a lot of questions to be asked. I assume most people think that I have lost my hair due to radiation treatments and it’s starting to growing back. My situation may be a little different from the typical bald babe, but this is just something I experienced during my one year.
You Will Receive the Nod from Other Bald Women
Seeing another bald woman while out is never not cool. I feel that I have received the nod, and I most definitely have given the nod.
People Will Ask (or Not Ask) to Touch Your Head
If you are not very close to someone – DO. NOT. TOUCH. THEIR. HEAD. You can ask to touch/rub their head, but never assume they are okay with you doing it. Always err on the side of caution. Would you touch someone’s head if it had hair? Probably not… it’s really no different.
I have had someone literally scrub on my head and tell me to go ahead and grow my hair back out. Hint: Don’t ever tell someone to grow their hair. They will do as they please, when they please, and they won’t ask you for your consideration or approval.
Personally, I do not mind if you ask me to touch my head. I might let you, and I appreciate being asked. People find bald / buzzcut girls interesting, and I am totally okay with allowing them to test their curiosity out on my head.
Keeping It Up is Much More than Expected
I originally had my head shaved at a barber shop and went back one more time when it started to grow out. After I realized that I look best if it’s shaved every one to two weeks, I knew it was time to break down and buy my own hair clippers. It is much more work than I anticipated to keep my head freshly shaved. I’d like to think I’ve gotten the hang of it along the way.
You Will Be Forced to be Confident
This perk of having a shaved head is literally my favorite thing about being bald and the thing I preach about the most. I knew being bald would mean exposing myself to the world, and not having anything to hide behind. No one told me that shaving your head forces you to be confident. You simply have no choice. Regardless if you feel confident or not, people will tell you and even look at you as someone extremely confident. You will be viewed as and told that you are a badass. Wear the honor! Take pride in the honor!
You Will Want to Experiment
There is nothing more fun than getting a new hairstyle and wanting to play around with your makeup and clothing to find what looks best. It’s even more fun when you’re doing it with a shaved head. You have no hair, so you rely on your makeup and clothing to give a statement with your bald head. You will find what works and what definitely does not work.
People Will Want to Know Why You Shaved Your Head
My best advice is to have 3 versions of your story; short, medium, and long. The short story is for someone that just wants to know why or if you personally don’t have a lot of time to explain it. The medium story is if you’re actually having a conversation with someone and they bring it up. Most likely, they are wanting a little more information than just a sentence. The long story is for those that want to pick your brain about it. It won’t happen often, but if it does, you want to be prepared to answer their unending questions and curiosities.
People Will Stare (Especially Kids)
Oh my goodness will people stare. Honestly, if I’m able to get away with it (I’m outside and it’s daylight), I like to wear my sunglasses just so I’m not constantly making eye contact with people staring at me… at my head. Kids will stare the most (depending on their upbringing), because most kids are just learning standard gender norms. They most likely haven’t seen a bald girl before in their class. Some kids will stare at you to figure out if you’re a girl or a boy. Smile at them, and go on your way.
People Will Tell You or Assume That This Changes Your Gender Identity (It Doesn’t)
Do not ever let someone tell you that your shaved head makes you less of a woman. I became more of a woman when I got rid of my hair. I felt more strong, more fierce, and even more feminine. It’s not something I can truly explain in its entirety; I am sure every bald woman will tell you something different. That is just how I perceive this style.
People Will Tell You They Could Never Do It Themselves
I have struggled the most with this one, internally. I was so very surprised at how many women have told me that they could never shave their head because they wouldn’t look good with the hairstyle OR because their boyfriend/husband would kill them. Now that just makes me angry, mostly because I used to feel that I had to have hair to attract men.
No one should be able to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do to your body. I have even had someone tell me that when you conform to your husband, you just have to sacrifice some things, regardless if it’s what you want personally. I always tell women that tell me they couldn’t do it themselves, that they can! I say this, because that was me, I never thought it possible… and here I am, one year later.
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It’s been a crazy ride of a year, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
