February 12, 2018
Hair is such a mutable feature. It can be cut, dyed, curled, straightened, covered, tied back, left loose. Hair is something that most people don’t think twice about being without.
Marisa never thought about how big of a deal her hair was until she shaved her head. Marisa has alopecia universalis, an autoimmune condition that causes her body to attack her hair follicles. Marisa was tired of worrying about how her hair looked, of being held captive to beauty standards that force women into unrealistic boxes and distort the true meaning of beauty, so she cut it all off.
Before she shaved head Marisa was expecting a big change. And it’s true, she doesn’t really blend into a crowd anymore, and people do come up to her and stare, but others get excited and compliment her! And even though most people look at her differently the people that were always there for her still are, and most of the time she forgets that anything is different at all.
Marisa, you probably don’t this but I looked up to you all through high school, and watching you tackle this challenge, that could break so many people, has inspired me even more. Thank you for sharing your story and letting me take your portraits!
