I've decided to shave my head on the 22nd of December 2024 (like, Bic Bald). I have three main reasons for wanting to do this.

First and foremost, it's something I've wanted to do for a long time. I never thought I'd do it as I didn't think I'd ever have the guts to go through with it. Probably because it's not as socially acceptable or the 'norm' for a female, but who wants to be 'normal'?

Secondly, I thought it would be silly to do such a big thing and not do something for charity. So I'll be donating my ponytail to Little Princess Trust who provide wigs to children and young people who have lost their hair through cancer treatment or other conditions. I'll also be raising money for CALM in memory of my Dad who we lost to suicide in October 2017 (him being bald is unrelated to my decision to shave my head!)

And my final reason which only became a reason once I started telling people I was going to do this is to challenge societal norms. A number of people have been negative or very against the idea of me shaving my head which I've found really interesting (genuinely) because literally nothing bad will happen when I shave my head. In a world that often tells women their worth is tied to their appearance, I now feel shaving my head challenges that a bit. We all carry assumptions about what’s "normal," about beauty, and about femininity. And I get it, my initial reaction would probably be 'WTF' if I saw someone else doing this but why? I think it's good to challenge our views and reflect on how these assumptions shape our judgements. Why might a girl shaving her head seem “extreme” or “radical”? Or that she must be having a mental breakdown to even consider doing something like that (Britney has been mentioned to me a few times already... I can confirm I am healthy and well)? Why does it matter to us, and what does it say about how we view ourselves and others?

Anyway, that last paragraph gets a bit deep but the negative reactions I got made me even more keen to do this #stubbornbaldy. But my main reasons for doing it are because I want to and I can do some good as part of it. Any donations would be greatly appreciated (and will make sure I don't bottle it before the 22nd of December!).

I had a wee chat about it on the Mind Cake mental health podcast. Listen here if you want to hear more: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0K0megKx3XmhPUIUSPG4rK?si=a86feba9796b4bc2