September 13th and September 14th are both days where we can think about hair (or lack thereof)! Our class discussed ‘Bald is Beautiful’ Day and why some people may not have hair. We learned that some people shave their hair for religious reasons or when grieving, some people feel more comfortable/confident bald, some people lose their hair as a result of chemotherapy or alopecia, and some people may lose their hair as they age or due to stress, pregnancy, or medications/health.
The video below is an interview between a person with alopecia and kids of different ages. Feel free to watch to learn more about how alopecia can impact someone’s identity, health, etc.
We also explored the origins of ‘Afro Day’! We learned that an afro hairstyle is one of many culturally-significant hairstyles. Below, the Guinness World Record holder for ‘largest afro’ discusses how her hair helps her feel connected to her Black heritage:
We will continue to explore how our hair can represent our culture, identity, and history this week!