WEBVTT - Bonus Content: What I Wish People Knew About Alopecia

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<v Speaker 1>What's Up art t fan check out this bonus clip.

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<v Speaker 1>One of the hardest things about having alopecia for me

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<v Speaker 1>has been when I have to shave my head because

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<v Speaker 1>my hair is falling out at a rapid pace. It

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<v Speaker 1>just brings on such sadness because it is a daily

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<v Speaker 1>internal battle. Even if we look normal because we have

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<v Speaker 1>a wayne like I do right now, or we've covered

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<v Speaker 1>it up or we're hiding it. The impact that it

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<v Speaker 1>has on your self image, you feel like you're losing

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<v Speaker 1>a piece of yourself, and it can just have a

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<v Speaker 1>massive impact on your mental health. Living with alopecia feels

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<v Speaker 1>like constantly being under the weight of grief. The hardest

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<v Speaker 1>part of having alopecia was hiding the condition because I

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't ready enough, or I didn't at the time have

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<v Speaker 1>the courage enough to come out and show myself without hand.

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<v Speaker 1>You're constantly grieving your former self. I grappled with the

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<v Speaker 1>press and an anxiety for many years. I think after

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<v Speaker 1>such a drastic appearance change, it's very easy to have

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<v Speaker 1>low self esteem and low confidence. Your world lips upside

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<v Speaker 1>down and you lose a piece of yourself that you

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<v Speaker 1>kind of never almost get back. The hardest part about

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<v Speaker 1>having alopecia is feeling alone. Most of the times, I

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<v Speaker 1>can guarantee that I'm going to be the only bald

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<v Speaker 1>young woman walking into the room. That results in a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of staring and comments made by strangers that can

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<v Speaker 1>be incredibly taxing to my mental health. We need to

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<v Speaker 1>start to normalize hair loss conditions and to get people

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<v Speaker 1>to see that it's very common, and we need to

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<v Speaker 1>start to just love each other more. We can have

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<v Speaker 1>all the self acceptance in the world, but it makes

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<v Speaker 1>it ten times more difficult when you know that society

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<v Speaker 1>still does not accept a bald woman. Feeling like your

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<v Speaker 1>body is betraying you by physically altering your appearance, and

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<v Speaker 1>the ups and downs of losing your hair. We are

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<v Speaker 1>so much more than our bald heads. Thank you so

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<v Speaker 1>much for listening to this bonus content. M