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FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK
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ello there!! Welcome to our brand new magazine all about bald women! Woot! Woot! This magazine is a labor of love for my husband and I. We both enjoy being bald, and we have a lot of friends who are also bald, so we thought it would be a really neat and fun thing to put this together and share it with whoever wants to read it, haha! We got interested in the idea for a magazine after Scott had talked to a friend of his about Captain Stanley, who was the creator of The Razor’s Edge back in the 70s. It was a really neat magazine, simply about bald women. Captain Stanley was a pioneer of showcasing bald women in a positive light, and that is exactly what we want to do with the Bald Ladies Review! We want to highlight the beauty and elegance of bald women from all walks of life, and all angles. We want this to be about you all, and for you all! We want to see your photos, read your stories, and really show the diversity of bald women in this world. For each issue, I will be writing a little column for you all as well as an intro piece with some good information. I will be sharing my experiences and thoughts about being a bald woman, and the funny, weird, and sometimes annoying things that we all have probably encountered. But first, let me introduce myself to you all. I am somewhat of a prism because I have a lot of interests and I find life so completely interesting and mesmerizing. I feel like there are always so many little surprises or cool things around every bend. And I feel like everyone has a really neat story to tell! I am a stay-at-home mom and home school teacher to our high-school-aged daughter. I am also a bead artist, a seamstress, a baker (with a degree in Baking and Pastry Arts from Sullivan University), an amateur model, a loving wife, a nerd, a goofball, a music enthusiast, and a Gilmore Girls junkie. I am also a fellow baldie! I shaved my head when I was 22 as a fund raiser for the American Cancer Society in honor of my dad who passed away from cancer in 2005. My husband, Scott, was very supportive and encouraging and really helped me through the whole process. Like most other women, my biggest concern at that time was how I was going to be viewed and received by other people because I was bald. I had always had very, very long hair so I felt naked and unsure. However, I was so pleasantly surprised!! Yes, people stared, but not in a bad way. I received so many compliments and beautiful words from people that I didn’t even know. It was amazing! I found that all I had to do was look them in the eye, smile, and say, “Hello! How are you?” and all the weirdness went away. That’s where the name for my column came from. If in doubt, smile, and say hello. Since then, I have had varying lengths of short hair, but I always have gone back to bald. I enjoy the ease and freedom of it. I enjoy the look of it. And, I feel so much more outgoing and confident now after having shaved it for the first time back in 2008. So, there you are! That’s me in a nutshell! I’m so looking forward to sharing my thoughts with you all and hearing what you all have to say. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the magazine on Instagram (@bald_ladies_review_magazine) or by email (baldladiesreview@yahoo.com). Until then, smile, be happy, love yourself, and spread some positivity and joy!
Sheena Brings Plenty Publisher and Co-Founder bald ladies review - january 2017
CONTENTS and EXTRAS
ON THE COVER Jane enjoys the bald look and explains how it has helped her reflect on parts of her life. Page 4-7
FEATURE STORY Kate Rock and others talk about their experiences getting head tattoos in this multi-page feature. Page 12-17
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Read a powerful perspective on baldness from Taaylor Bailes. Sheena Brings Plenty - Publisher, Editor Scott Brings Plenty - Layout/Design Bald Ladies Review magazine comes out six times a year in January, March, May, July, September, and November. Subscriptions are free and can be obtained by emailing the magazine at baldladiesreview@yahoo.com or sending your email address via direct message to @bald_ladies_review_magazine on Instagram. If you are interested in being a regular columnist or would like to be featured in Bald Ladies Review, contact us at the same places.
“Celebrating the elegance and beauty of bald women�
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Pennsylvania bald beauty Maggie Mills shares her story with BLR.
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The lovely Casandra, of the Pacific Northwest, loves her buzzed hairstyle.
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COVER STORY
bald ladies review - january 2017
Jane’s Reflection
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hree years ago, Jane Wolf , who works in a pharmacy in Germany, found herself in a state of reflection upon her life. She was looking for a clean state of mind and in the process found that a cleanly-shaven head helped to lead her there. “I felt the need to improve my self-confidence and to live my dreams.” Jane said. “My hair was shoulder-length at this time, and as I started to change my life, I got it cut shorter and shorter, step by step.” Jane has always loved the beautiful esthetic look of women with shaved heads and fell in love with the look upon seeing her first bald woman on television - Sinead O’Connor. “I fell for that charisma immediately. In my eyes, that look contains a special kind of beauty. Maybe not everyone is able to see it, though. It appears strong and vulnerable at the same time to me, very feminine too...no hair to hide behind.” As Jane’s hair began to get shorter and shorter, she went through all the usual short hairstyles from a pixie cut to a mohawk. But the thought of a fully-shaved head never left her thoughts. on, she began to buzz her hair herself, each Friday evening down to a buzzed 3mm. “I felt very comfortable,” related Jane. “When suddenly, a good friend of mine asked me to go total-
“I want to spread love, truth, and freedom...”
Staff article, Photos courtesy of Jane Wolf
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“I can’t imagine to ever let my hair grow out again.” ly smooth bald. That idea had been visiting my mind several times before.” In January 2016, Jane, with her brand-new Gillette Pro Fusion razor in hand, shaved her head totally smooth for the first time, and she hasn’t looked back. “Of course I thought about other people’s opinions, but I liked that experience,” commented Jane. “And so I went on and I am wearing my shiny cueball still. I can’t imagine to ever let my hair grow out again.” Jane says that aside from a few questions here and there about whether or not she has an illness, the overwhelming majority has been extremely positive feedback from everyone around her. “Cus-
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tomers, friends, and people I meet in the club on Saturday night just tell me how beautiful my look is in their eyes,” beamed Jane. “And, even strangers on the street sometimes come to me. A woman crossed the street especially to talk to me when I went down to my house with my bicycle. She stopped right in front of me and said, ‘You are beautiful!’” “Hearing such nice words makes me really, really happy.” Jane enjoys staying connected with fellow bald women and lovers of the bald look via Instagram. “Several people wrote me, ‘I never thought that bald women could be pretty in my eyes. But, now I realize that women don’t need hair to be beautiful.’”
She believes that beauty is mostly about loving oneself and having a warm heart - having hair or not is of no consequence. She encourages bald women to embrace their look with pride and grace. “People around her will have no choice but to find it amazing.” In her spare time, Jane enjoys modern jazz and hip-hop dancing, reading, working out, listening to music, watching inspiring movies, chatting with friends, eating, knitting, writing, and being creative. “I’m a very empathetic and sensitive person who wants to live life to the fullest. I want to spread love, truth, and freedom, and I hope my look can help others to find their own strength.”
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COLUMN
You Can’t Go Wrong With a Smile By Sheena Brings Plenty
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fear that I had felt even the day before was being shaved off and I was starting fresh. It’s easy to let emotional stuff build up and become layers, and shaving helped me to release all of that in a physical way. I’m a very perceptive and sensitive person. I always know when people are lying, and I’m very physically affected by negativity. I also get my feelings hurt very easily and have trouble when people change or begin to show their negative sides. So, by shaving my head, I learned to let all of that go and it gave me a good jumping-off point to learn how to manage and deal with the emotional parts of my life. I think it’s amazing how much my life has changed for the better just by having done this one simple act. While I have grown my hair out to a few different short styles, I will always go back to bald eventually. That’s where I feel mostly myself, and that’s an exceptional thing. We all need to love ourselves and do things that make us feel purely us. So, let’s go be happy! Let’s go spread that happy all over the world and we can all be happy together!
ello all you beautiful souls! This is the first installment of our magazine, which we have decided to make bi-monthly instead of quarterly....WOOHOO! This means I get to write to you all more often! Yay! I have been bald for more than eight years now, off and on. I did it to begin with as a fund raiser for the American Cancer Society. But after I did it, I decided that I really liked it! I had always had really long hair, so it was an exciting, and slightly scary, new adventure for me! (And I looooove adventure...I’m a bit of a nomad, haha.) It was very chilly to begin with so I wore a hat or a scarf almost all the time. And I had to remember to wear some SERIOUS sunscreen when I went outside, haha! I got burned more than a few times...... What I found so beautiful about being Sheena is a home-school mother of a high bald was the experience of feeling free. I school junior, a pastry chef, a tattoo coldidn’t have to mess with my hair in any lector, and enjoys beading, sewing, and way; washing it, drying it, straightening it, running. She can be reached at baldladiesstyling it, keeping it brushed.....goodness! review@yahoo.com or follow her on InstaDon’t get me wrong, I loved having long gram @sheenabringsplenty. hair and I took very good care of it. But, being bald was so easy! I also felt physically free. I felt like I was completely myself....like I wasn’t creating any sort of version of myself, but was just purely just Sheena lounging by the pool me. I was exposed, in the summer sun. Don’t but in the best way forget your sunscreen ladies! possible because I (Photo by Scott Brings Plenty) didn’t have anything to hide, haha! Also, every time I shaved, I would feel emotionally and mentally free. I felt like the stress, pain, or
bald ladies review - january 2017
Perspective on baldness By Taaylor Bailes @taay_fit “On one hand:
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hy’d you do it? Do you want to be a boy? What are you trying to prove? Ugly. Not my thing. Are you a crazy feminist? You’re...weird. Cancer? Stare... On the other hand:
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ow, you’re so brave! You’re beautiful. Not many people can pull that off. You’ve got the right head shape for it. Amazing! Wish I could do that. I love it! So exotic and different. I’ve learned many things about people while having a shaved/bald head. 1. People are incredibly obsessive over change. Most don’t like it. They want things to stay the same. 2. Apparently, not having hair does not make me a woman anymore. 3. Some people believe that your looks entirely make you who you are as a person. 4. People really like rubbing your bald head. 5. Men really like telling you about their other girlfriends/wives that also have shaved heads (cool?). 6. Some people believe that long, flowing hair is what makes a woman beautiful. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not a “Hair-hater”. I love all types of hair styles and hair types. Long, short, wavy, curly, kinky, ombre’-d, dyed whatever. I find beauty in everything and everyone. There is not a single standard of beauty for me. But personally, I don’t need hair to feel good or pretty or
Photo courtesy of Taaylor Bailes whatever. I don’t want it to feel confident. This was an experiment for me in all honesty. I just wanted to see the true level of comfort and confidence I had in myself; to see if I could do something unconventional and odd and still love myself. I thought that when I shaved my head, I’d look in the mirror and truly feel like...me. And, in a way, that did happen. But, after a while, you’ll realize that your appearance has nothing to do with who you are. That comes only from within, so, I continue to shave my head. I take the amazing, beautiful compliments with the bad, ugly ones. And, I just do me. I hope that no matter what you look like in this shallow society, you understand that real beauty comes from within. And remember, this is life, not heaven. You don’t have to be perfect!”
“...you understand that real beauty comes from within.”
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Keystone Beauty
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Staff article, Photos courtesy of Maggie Mills
ne Pennsylvania woman is bursting through the stereotypes that often accompany bald-by-choice women. Maggie Mills, who lives just outside of Pittsburgh, works in the professional world as a paralegal and also sells life insurance. Bald for one-and-a-half years, Maggie first shaved after her mother was diagnosed with matestic colorectal cancer. She has found that she really enjoys the bald look. “The maintenance is practically zero,” she said. “I know I rock it.” Maggie has had many positive encounters as a bald woman. “Most recently, I was waiting on my daughter who was ironically getting her long hair colored. I started chatting with another customer that complimented me on my bald look. She said ‘You rock that look!’ We started talking and it turned out that she had played lacrosse on a scholarship as a freshman in college...exact-
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ly what my youngest daughter wants to do.” She also tells of a fun story while purchasing a new set of glasses. “The woman that took care of me was so impressed that I had the courage to shave my hair, she couldn’t stop complimenting me and we exchanged phone numbers. We have become friends and chat on a regular basis. She is really fun and positive, and I expect we will become really good friends.” Maggie is an avid reader. “I read everyday, everything from spiritual growth, real history, science fiction, to romance and murder/suspense mysteries.” She also enjoys the theater, musicals, and fine dining. She definitely keeps busy in her life. “I’m a taxi driver for my teenage daughters. I’m a coffee snob. I work with a life coach and have been for years to keep me grounded and moving forward in my life. I love to drive fast and blast good music.” When asked if she plans to keep the bald look, Maggie replied, not surprisingly, “Yes, probably forever.”
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Beautifully adorned
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Some bald women are using head tattoos as a way of self-expression Staff Article amed actor and noted cool guy Johnny Depp once said, “My body is my journal, and my tattoos are my story.” For many, tattoos have lost their stigma and are now seen on people from all walks of life from executives to rock stars and everyone in between. As tattoos have become more popular, head tattoos have become more popular and are a perfect way to adorn a bald head. “It was very painful, but every time I saw a piece in the mirror it looked so great,” said Kate Rock, a public relations specialist in fashion, a stylist, and a personal shopper in St. Petersburg, Russia. She relates that she only has one tattoo on her head, but that piece covers her entire
Photos: Jennifer Montiamo (top), photo by Daniel Gual; Kate Rock (photos at right and opposite page), photos courtesy of herself
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“It was very painful, but every time I saw a piece in the mirror it looked so great.” - Kate Rock, St. Petersburg, Russia
Photos: Kate Rock (top), photo courtesy of herself; Jennifer Montiamo (above), photo by Daniel Ekenberg
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head which she shows off daily. The tattoo itself took 18 hours and was completed over nine sessions every other week. Her head tattoo is the only one that she has on her body, and the only one that she plans to get. “Different parts of the head pain felt completely different,” she commented. “When the forehead was hit, my eyes ran down with tears and water went down from my nose. It was strange, but exciting.” Jennifer Montiamo, of Stockholm, Sweden, works at a school of arts and has quite a few tattoos. “I started getting tattooed really early in life, and I felt like it was a great way of expressing my creative mind and I always loved the look. I’ve never counted my tattoos, but I’m sure it’s around 30-50 tattoos that I have. Montiamo, who has alopecia, has two head tattoos that she got several years ago. “Since they are both script, they have very fine lines and it makes it hurt less. I actually fell asleep. So, I wouldn’t say it hurt at all.” Her first head tattoo is script and reads “Mind over matter” and was done by Mr T (@mrtstucklife on Instagram) from Stucklife Tattoo in Stockholm. Her second head tattoo is also script and reads “Dreams over money” and was done by Big Sleeps (@bigsleeps on Instagram) in Los Angeles. “The meaning of my head tattoo is that you can do anything you put your mind to and that you shouldn’t only be driven by the materials in life,” said Montiamo. “There is more to life than money and fame.” Michelle-Anna Moffatt, who lives outside Glasgow, Scotland, is a married mother of four (two girls and two boys) who works as a critical care nurse.
For her, a head tattoo has been a way for her to deal with her alopecia. “I hated my bald head when I first lost my hair. Then, I began to embrace it, and I decided to get a tattoo which had meaning to me. The lotus mandala is a symbol of spiritual awakening and change, and I felt this so appropriate for my journey. I do love it!”
Moffatt related that the tattoo, which took a little more than eight hours, was a way for her to show her change as well as her acceptance of her bald head. In talking about the tattooing process on her head, she noted, “It was a long day, but so worthwhile! I loved it straight away, and the artist was just incredible.
Photos: Michelle-Anna Moffatt (top three), photos courtesy of herself; Oriana Reyes (above), photos courtesy of herself
So, the scalp tattoo wasn’t too bad pain wise. The very front onto my forehead was pretty sore. The rest was not bad. In fact, I slept the first hour!” Moffatt’s head tattoo was done by Nicko Onno at The Studio in Glasgow. “The tattoo studio is phenomenal and just beautiful inside. The staff are amazing and all so talented. I had an amazing experience there!” She said aftercare for her was the same as her other tattoos, of which she has a few including one on her chest and some on her arm. “For me, as I don’t have hair due to my alopecia, there was no problem with regrowth. I’m not sure how this would be for those who have hair growing through as healing.” Oriana Reyes has sat on both sides of the tattoo station as both an artist and a client. “I currently have four head tattoos. I have ‘bestride mich’ on my right side, ‘angel of death’ on the left, a design I drew on top, and the start of a one-eyed creature on the back. I want to cover my head completely one day. Reyes, from Las Cruces, New Mexico, has been shaving her head completely bald for several years. “I got my first head tattoo when I was 19. I plan on being bald for as long as possible. Being bald is an important statement in my life. I have always strived to not be a typical woman personality-wise.” From a tattoo artist’s perspective she notes, “The head tends to
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“I started getting tattooed really early in life, and I felt like it was a great way of expressing my creative mind and I always loved the look.�
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- Jennifer Montiamo
Jennifer Montiamo (above), photo by John Hagby
bald ladies review - january 2017
bleed more than other parts of the body so it makes it different to tattoo. At first, it was nerve-wracking, but now it’s one of my favorite places to tattoo.” In talking about the pain and aftercare of head tattoos, she commented that headaches are frequent for clients. “The headache hurts more than getting it tattooed. The aftercare is personally weird for me. I like to keep my head tattoos lubed, but it feels gross doing that to your head since your scalp gets greasy. Also, washing your head when the hairs are starting to come out is hard, maybe that’s just me because my hair is so thick.” Reyes admires Paul Booth as a tattoo artist. “There are a lot of amazing artists, but gosh am I in love with his work. On a personal basis, I’d like to give a shout-out to James Bustamante of Las Cruces for taking a 19-year-old girl with a dream under his wing. He helped me out a lot and gave me the opportunity to work in a shop and really learn. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I would have never met him.” Montiamo has a pre-tattoo ritual that she follows to make the process easier for herself. “Nowadays, when I get a tattoo I make sure I have eaten before and I have something to kick my blood sugar up when it starts dropping. I also boost the immune system the night before with shots of ginger and tumeric. That way, my body handles it really well.”
Photo: Oriana Reyes, photo courtesy of herself
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NEW
BUZZCUT
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OUTLOOOK
Northwest Coast beauty enjoys buzzed hairstyle Staff Article, Photos courtesy of Casandra Waldhalm
The Northwest coast of the United States has always been known as a place that is open to alternative styles, and is accepting of people who look and act differently. Casandra Waldhalm, who lives in Portland, Oregon, is an example of this acceptance.
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or the past several months, she has been buzzing her hair off entirely; this following five years of hair experimentation. “I have had short hair for over five years and tried everything from a short bob with fringe, to a half-shaved mohawk, along with dying my hair virtually every color under the sun. Out of all the styles and color combos, I never was happy and never settled on a style for more than a few weeks.” One day, Casandra joked to her husband, Blaine, that she should just shave her head. “He told me to go for it. A week passed filled with binge-watching YouTube videos of women shaving their heads. I decided to do it and loved it right away!” She took to the style immediately and relates that it has been a very freeing experience. “Being bald has been the greatest thing I could have done for myself. It has freed me from being contained as an individual. I don’t feel like I have to be a wallflower. When you don’t have hair detracting from you and your face, you can’t be shy. I smile more. I goof off more.
Casandra with her husband, Blaine
I interact with people more.” Most importantly, Casandra notes, “I feel like shaving my head has opened the door so that I can just be me.” Casandra, a self-described voracious reader, amateur chef, and “the most left-brained artist you’ll ever meet”, is her husband’s full-time caregiver. Following his initial encouragement, her husband has been very supportive and enjoys her style as well. “My favorite thing about this change is how much my husband pets my head. I know that sounds strange, but he does it while we are snuggled in bed, and it is the best head massage in the world.” Casandra commented that almost every interaction she has had since shaving her head has been a positive one. “I get stopped at the mall or the grocery store by people who want to pay me a compliment. I’ve even had young women on Instagram message me from across the globe telling me that I have inspired them to break the beauty stereotype and be their own person.” But, she does add that it can be very hard and emotional for some women. “Women are taught that we have to be feminine and having long locks is the best way to achieve femininity. Hair can be a comfort blanket or be a very ingrained part of who you are. Shaving your head is not for everyone, but if you do do it, everything you thought about yourself or society’s view on you will fly right out the door!” She went on to say, “Your confidence will soar, you will get much more positive attention than negative, and people will notice you for you. As long as you do it for yourself, it could turn into one of the best experiences of your life.” Casandra said that she plans to rock her buzzcut for a very long time. “There may be a point later on that I might want to grow it out,
“Being bald has been the greatest thing I could have done for myself.” but I seriously doubt it.” When asked if she had any advice for women thinking of following in her footsteps and shaving their head, she responded, “Never use dull clippers. They pinch and hurt! Invest in good clippers and a willing partner to help you see the back!” Follow Casandra on Instagram: @little_spoon129
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Ask Sheena
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- I shave my head every couple days and sometimes end up with fairly bad razor burn. How can I prevent
this?
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heena - Razor burn is serious business! We have all had it happen, and it is awful. I have very coarse and think hair, so I shave my head every other day. I hop in the shower with the water as hot as I can stand it and let my hair get really saturated, and my scalp get hot. Then, I apply the shaving cream. (I like Barbasol original) It’s important to let the shaving cream sit on your head for a little bit to condition your scalp. It will help to protect your scalp when you do the actual shaving. I finish my other showering activities while the shaving cream is doing its thing. Once I’m finished, I shave my head in front of a mirror. (Some people can do it in the shower, but I have to see what I’m doing lol) I use the Gillette Fusion Pro-Glide razors. They have really good blades and the conditioning strip lasts through 2 or 3 shaves, which is nice!
Q
- I have seen your pictures and other pictures of bald women on the internet, and I really like the look of the style. How can I talk my wife into shaving her head?
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heena - Hello! Thanks for the question. I have been asked this a lot, and I think it’s a very delicate subject to approach. First of all, this style is not for everyone, much like having super long hair is not for everyone. Some women like it and some don’t, and that’s ok. Secondly, this is something that should be your wife’s choice to do, not something you should “talk her into.” If you were to talk her into it but she didn’t really want to do it, then she would probably regret it and hate it very shortly after doing it. Then she would begin to grow it out as soon as she could, so she would only be smooth bald for about 8 hours, and it would take a long time for her hair to grow back.
So, that said, I do think it is something that you and your wife should talk about. Communication is one of the most important parts of any marriage, I think. If you broach the Photo by Scott Brings Plentysubject with her in a very Take your time when shaving your head, and don’t go over a spot nice (not confrontational more than twice, Sheena says. This will help prevent razor burn and or forceful) way, she may When you’re shaving, bumps. decide that she is up for don’t go over the same it and do it. However, she spot more than twice, also may decide that it’s so pay attention to the not something she is interested in doing with her hair, direction that your hair grows and shave over it the and you will have to be ok with that and let it go. opposite way. Also, be sure to rinse your razor out A LOT while you’re shaving, especially if you have thick, ** Submit your questions to Ask Sheena by direct message coarse hair like me. on Instagram (@bald_ladies_review_magazine) or email to baldladiesreview@yahoo.com. Questions may be on anyI don’t use any lotion or after-shave stuff on my head because I have very sensitive skin. But, I’ve seen other thing (fashion, the bald lifestyle, general advice, etc.), but just make sure to keep the questions clean and classy. women who do, so this might be an option for you as well to condition your skin and cut down on the razor burn. I hope this helps!! Thanks for the question!!
bald ladies review - january 2017
Q S
- How do you deal with the online and anonymous “fetishists” and their messages?
heena - Hey! Thanks for the excellent question! This is the one thing about being bald that I’m not a fan of at all. I find it completely rude when men send me messages like that. I don’t think they are trying to be rude, so I generally just delete their messages. If they persist, then I tell them that they are being rude and to quit messaging me. Then, if they still don’t quit, I block them. I try to give people the chance to act right, but some people never will. To some people, bald women are just a bald head and they don’t care about the fact that we have lives and are actually people. But, to us at the magazine, being bald is a style and we are still women who are way more than just a head! That’s why we have created this magazine...to truly show the beauty and diversity of bald women.
Q
- As I have black hair, in spite of shaving my head clean with a razor, a shadow still can be observed. Do you have any tips or advice on how to make the shadow less obvious?
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heena - Hello! Thank you for the great question! I have black hair too and have the same issue. I like to use a full-coverage powder foundation all over my head. I use the same one that I use for my face, so it all blends smoothly. I like the powder, too, because it makes my head less shiny.
Q
- How are you received in public by people you don’t know? A bald woman will get a lot of attention and I’m not sure if it’s all favorable. How are you able to handle this?
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heena - I am very well received in public. I have found that people will stare at someone who looks different no matter what it is that makes them look different. I think the majority of it is curiosity, with a side order of
awe...lol. So, I smile, make eye contact, and say hello. That defuses any awkwardness from either side. I am always getting compliments from strangers on my look. Most women say they wish that they could pull of this look. I don’t think this look is necessarily for everyone, but I think it could be if you have the right attitude. I actually get more weird looks and comments because of my tattoos than I do for my bald head. So, as far as being received in public, it’s not a problem at all.
Q
- How is it possible to make awareness so that more simple, everyday women, not models or celebrities go for the shaved head look?
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heena - First off, I do some amateur modeling, but I am by no means a professional model and certainly not a celebrity, and I’ve been bald for over eight years now. I feel that any woman that has the proper attitude can definitely pull off a bald head. If you’re self-conscious or worried about what everyone is thinking about you, this is most definitely not the style for you. But, I would encourage more women to shave their heads if it’s what they want to do and what would make them happy. I think all women are beautiful, not just models or celebrities, so I feel that this look can be universal.
Q
- How about trying to make awareness in the workplace that a shaved head is an acceptable look for women?
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heena - First off, let me premise my statements by saying that I live in the United States. So, my comments are based purely off of our laws here...laws differ in other countries so their experiences may be different. That being said, I don’t think that being bald should be viewed as anything different than any other hairstyle. This is one of the main goals of our magazine. Whether a woman is bald by choice or has alopecia or other conditions that make them bald, we all choose to go into public bald. Being bald, as a woman, shouldn’t be viewed differently than a man being bald and being in the workplace. It also shouldn’t be viewed as being “alternative” or “weird”. It’s a style. Here in the United States, we have equal rights laws that protect against discrimination so this really isn’t a big deal here. I hope it’s not elsewhere either. Note: All of these questions were submitted by readers. Keep them coming! Submit your questions to Ask Sheena by sending a direct message to the BLR Instagram page or email: baldladiesreview@yahoo.co
Illustration by Maleaha Brings Plenty.
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@BuzzCutFeed supports diversity, inclusiveness, and short hair
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Staff Article ames Tyrer is passionate about supporting diversity as it relates to fashion and what is deemed acceptable in society. Working on several sites from his Liverpool, England home, Tyrer, who is currently unemployed, works pretty much full-time BuzzCutFeed which can be found on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. “Originally, I didn’t start the page,” he said. “It was started by our other admin who still visits the page and helps out from timeto-time. But, I am now the main admin for the page.” When Tyrer started working on the BuzzCutFeed page on Instagram, the site had 5,000 followers. In a short time, that has grown to over 65,000. In addition to his BuzzCutFeed pages, he also runs a Facebook group and YouTube channel entitled Haircuts & Makeovers. “I’ve always been a very open-minded person when it comes to hair and fashion and always like be-
ing different,” Tyrer notes. “I also come from a very high fashion judgmental city where if you don’t look normal or fit in, you’re likely to get some funny looks of the public.” He related he’s always been attracted to very short hair (buzzed and bald) on girls. Tyrer hopes to keep expanding his BuzzCutFeed page. “My hopes and plans for my page is to keep it growing and keep positive vibes spreading and to one day have a role in the hair industry as I’m very passionate about this industry. I love it very much. I would also love to eventually get paid for all of my hard work and effort for what I do with my pages.” He stresses that his pages are not for the judgmental, but are places for everyone. “We are a page for everyone. We like to give everyone a chance to be featured. We are a non-biased page, and we support charities. If people are going to either do a charity head shave or donate their long hair, as we are a diverse page, we like to help out wherever we can.”
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