When India Arie dropped neo-soul song I am not my hair in 2006, colored women all the world embraced it, as it was a true representation of the stigma attached to grooming natural hair all over the world. A decade and a year later, women have taken their boldness, acceptance and self love to a whole different level. They are proudly shaving their heads and rocking this new look with pride and confidence. Stars like Amber Rose have rocked the bald head style as her signature look for years and now celebrities and other risk takers are following the trend, and once again the song by India Arie is still very relevant.
“You can shave it off
Like a South African beauty
Or get in on lock
Like Bob Marley
You can rock it straight
Like Oprah Winfrey
If it’s not what’s on your head
Its what’s underneath and say Hey.”
If anyone had told Sidra Smith about 15 years ago that she would shave off her head and decide to rock the bald look for the rest of her life, she would have laughed hysterically at the statement. Sidra used to be obsessed with hair and the idea of how pretty it made her and other women who wore their long, sleeky and shiny. She went as far as enrolling in cosmetology class and moving to Los Angeles to pursue a dream in the field, But here we are in 2017 and the actress and producer is proudly rocking her bald new look and feeling as beautiful as ever. For Sidra’s 31st birthday, she decided to shave her head in order to “re-introduce herself, to herself” As a birthday gift.
“I do not exist to be beautiful, i am more than that” Breeny Lee
On the 1st of April this year, Vlogger Breeny Lee released a touching motivational video on her YouTube Channel, titled over coming insecurities . She talked about how she didn’t feel pretty for over a year, not being able to stand what she looked like in the mirror with or without makeup, herself realization, and her decision to damn the supposed beauty standards. Breeny Lee shaved her head and welcomed a new beginning in her life and a new series on her channel titled soul surgery.
Danai Gurira shaved her head in 2017, though the reason is rumored to be because of her role in marvels first black superhero film “Black panther.” Whatever the case may be, Danai is effortlessly rocking her new fierce look.
For people who find themselves in life threatening medical conditions like cancer, and have to go through chemo, and face loss of hair not only on their head, but all over their body and have to deal with the drastic drop of their self esteem, it is important they know that, being without hair should never be criteria to define your beauty. You will always be beautiful either way.
Another celebrity favorite who has rocked the shaved hair look is People’s Most Beautiful Person, award winning actress Lupita Nyong’o. Lupita is one celebrity who doesn’t care about the so called beauty standards of the world today. She has rocked her low for many years, and embraced her beautiful skin regardless of what the world thinks.
Be it to make a fashion statement, a soul searching journey, a simple choice, health reasons, for charity or for whatever reason you decide to shave your head; the decision can be one of the biggest choices a woman can take, but whatever the case may be, never let the idea that “hair is beauty” stop you from doing what you want.
