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| Few months after I shaved my head:) |
Pinpointing to a singular event that has shaped my life and
made me who I am would be futile, as I believe that the collective experiences
I’ve had thus far has made me who I am today. However, if I had to write about
one particular event, I would write about the day I shaved my head.
Adolescence is a rather confusing period for most, as we
battle the notions of identity and attempt to figure out who we are. Just like
many, I went through a period of self-doubt and confusion, trying to piece
together parts of myself that did not fit the ideal standards of society.
During that period, I chanced upon an event called Hair for Hope, whereby we
had to shave our heads in support of children battling cancer. This was the
perfect opportunity for me to satisfy the part of me that wanted to contribute
to society, as well as to challenge the societal standards of beauty.
Unable to fathom the idea of me walking around with a shaved
head, most of my friends and relatives tried to talk me out of my supposed
insanity. However, I pressed on and did it anyway. By far, this has been the single
most liberating experience I’ve ever had in my life. I have never felt as free
and alive as I did when I was walking around bald. All the built up insecurities and unhappiness melted away as
I embraced a bald and bold me.
There was no longer a need to care if my clothes looked right or if my
shoes matched since the only thing that people looked at was my bare head. For
the first time in my life, I did not care what people thought about me.
This experience has allowed me to love myself for who I am
instead of how I look. It has also empowered me to live my life according to my
own ideals rather than conforming to societal norms. However, I am still a work in progress. Every new experience
molds me into a new and better version of myself.
352 words
I love this post, Elizabeth, and the physical and emotional transformation that you describe in easy-flowing prose. From the start you position the reader beside yourself as you harken back to your adolescence, setting the stage for the decision you made to follow your heart and shave your head. (Or did you simply cut your hair down to the roots? The photo you share shows you with hair, albeit cut close to the scalp. As a man who is truly bald, I can differentiate!)
ReplyDeleteYou also explain in fine detail your "liberating experience," moving effortlessly from motivation to social reaction to self evaluation. All in all, this makes for a lucid shapshot of the emotional journey your action took you through and the foundation the experience helped lay for the person you have become. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
Thank you for the feedback Brad!
DeleteHi Elizabeth
ReplyDeleteThank you for this highly insightful and personal post. Interestingly enough, I am currently in the midst of reviewing literature for a qualitative research of mine. Though the research question has yet to be set in stone, my team and I are interested in finding out what is the standard of beauty in Singapore and how do women place/see themselves in relation to said standard. Hence you can imagine my surprise and delight when I read your reflection.
This experience of yours can be acutely felt and understood through the expressiveness of your language and the coherence of your thought process. The build up towards the final act and your subsequent release from the shackles placed upon you was detailed with such emotion that to call your post simply an enjoyable read would be an understatement.
Thank you once again for your sharing and I am most sincerely looking forward to reading/learning more about you. (:
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Cheers, Sabrina
Thank you for the lovely comment Sabrina!
DeleteYour research seems pretty interesting. Feel free to ask me questions anytime and I would be glad to answer them :)
Hey Elizabeth ! I was so surprised as I read your post and really admire your courage to do something majority of the female population (including me) wouldn't do. It's comforting to hear that you know yourself better and who you want to be now instead of just following the flow and being someone who's not the true you. This is a very interesting post and I enjoyed it a lot (:
ReplyDelete