Empowerment. I was 33 years of age when I realised the true meaning of the world, when I myself, felt empowered. My empowerment journey started the day I shaved my hair live on social media, in front of hundreds of people.
All my life I had hidden under my long, thick and curly locks. I felt as though my hair was my complete identity and this made me who I was as a person. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Empowerment
My empowerment journey started the day I shaved my hair live on social media, in front of hundreds of people.
As a woman in todays society, we are often led to believe that our hair is what makes us feel feminine, sexy and for some, our hair is our security blanket. Again, I couldn’t have been more wrong, but at the time, who was I to know?
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the tender age of 32, my first thoughts were whether I would survive this horrible disease and my second thought was, would my hair fall out?
This is the biggest thing, besides survival, that women are scared of when starting their cancer journey.
After everything I had been through, during those gruelling weeks of chemotherapy, I decided it was time to shave my hair. I got to the point where I just wanted it off. I felt as though my hair was tainted and full of struggles and woes and I just wanted it gone. I never thought I would see the day were I would be happy and willing to shave off those luscious, curly locks! All my life, my hair was like my own personal signature. I loved that anyone who described me, always spoke of my curly, golden hair!
The moment those clippers met my head and started shaving away at my hair, was the moment those feelings of empowerment started to kick in.
I couldn’t believe how much I was loving the ‘shaved head look’ and as soon as my locks where gone, confidence was beaming out of me. I have never in my life felt so empowered than I did after shaving my hair.
I refuse to wear wigs, as I am so addicted to this new feeling of empowerment that I have when I’m walking down the street. No hair, with everybody looking at me. I want people to know what I have been through. I also want people to know (especially women) that we can still feel feminine and sexy without our hair. It doesn’t define us.
Before this, I thought that my hair was everything to me and it’s safe to say that I’ve been proved wrong. I have never felt better about myself, even without my hair, eyebrows and my eyelashes.
This new feeling of empowerment is everything to me. I love me and despite having no hair, I feel sexy and more of a woman than I ever have, all by taking control of my life. I now know what I want from life and I am empowered to go and get it!
This to me, is the epitome of empowerment and I will continue to help others and inspire those going through the same or a similar experience. What this journey has taught me is that beauty resides from within and is so much more than what we see on the outside.
I had everything stripped away from me and I have never felt more beautiful.
Leah Singh. x
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