I read an article in the news this week by the Associated Press about Debbe Ebben, the newly crowned 2012 Miss Alaska.
This was the 16th pageant she has competed in and I can only imagine how hard she has worked to prepare for this victory. As many pageant organizations require of their contestants, she participated in a public service project. Ms. Ebben successfully raised more than $4,000 when she shaved her hair off to support the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, an organization that donates money to childhood cancer research. The hair cut took place three months prior to the pageant so she did not actually participate bald. She had a cute, short pixie cut that grew in just in time for her to compete and win the crown.
Although I believe her intentions were ultimately good, admittedly I was a little unnerved by the lack of sensitivity the subject of hair loss was dealt with in her interview. I can imagine that voluntarily shaving off your hair for anyone would be met with a lot of fearful emotions. After all, so much of how we identity ourselves is often defined by our hair and physical appearance. Most people, especially women would never attempt to cut off their hair even if it was a temporary look for a great cause. I give kudos to her for stepping up to the plate especially as a pageant contestant, to challenge the one dimensional standard of beauty that is often represented as having long flowing hair. That act in and of itself was a victory that she should be proud of.
My Reality
As a woman with Alopecia Universalis, I have spent the past 13 years of my life challenged with hair loss and I have been completely bald for the past 10 years. Medically the likelihood of my hair growing back is slim to none so I had to learn how to be comfortable in my skin as a hairless human. I wonder if Miss Alaska truly understands the implications from the statements in her interview. She is quoted as saying “Losing one’s hair should be special — whether it’s voluntary or not. I wanted to put meaning and emotion behind it, and let them know why I’m doing it — for the kids,” she said. “I’m not shaving it to get attention. I’m not shaving it for publicity. I’m not shaving it because it’s a really easy hairstyle to go with. I’m shaving it for them.” She went on to say, “I don’t want to be branded as the ‘bald beauty queen.”
Ouch. This is where my toes were personally a little bit stepped on. As “The Bald Beauty Queen of Self Esteem,” I want to go on record and state the following: “If any woman had to experience involuntarily hair loss like myself and the millions of other people that I represent, they would take pride in being branded as The Bald Beauty Queen.” It is a blessing to be able to get to a place where you can stand up and reclaim your inner and outer beauty that may have been compromised by disease. So many of us experience unwanted changes to our self image and lose a part of ourselves stuck in the memory of how it used to be. Taking back your power and moving forward in spite of the differences is a path for a warrior. It is a challenge that you can only appreciate when you have had to look in the mirror and struggle to truly accept the person staring back at you. That accomplishment is deserving of a crown with hair and without and to be publicly acknowledged for it is an honor.
I am not a pageant girl but I challenged myself to compete and was crowned 2011 Mrs. Black North Carolina. I made history by becoming the 1st Bald Beauty Queen of North Carolina. My title was not a gimmick or a publicity stunt. It was not a required gesture to serve my community. It is my divine platform assigned to me through my life experience. It is my passion and my purpose revealed to help others embrace their inner royalty and experience personal liberation in spite of their challenges. I wish Miss Alaska all the best with her reign and her participation in the Miss America pageant in 2013. I hope she will continue to serve her community by supporting organizations like the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. It is important to show America that a real beauty queen will stand out in the crowd in spite of the length of her hair just as she bravely did. But as a woman and fellow queen, I simply want her to understand that a real beauty queen can also stand out with no hair at all and turn a negative into a positive.