Alopecia and hair loss within Black women is a conversation that needs to be brought to the forefront, I’m still not sure if it’s an “advantage" being a black woman with alopecia because as a black woman I spent majority of my life either worried or aware of what’s happening with my hair, not for myself but for the comfort of others. Constantly feeling like my hair wasn’t allowed to do what it wanted, how it wasn't  “acceptable.” This lifelong sense; in a weird way has helped me on this journey to self acceptance with my baldness. Now, I know I’m not going to be societally palatable as a Bald, Black Woman. I know that, and somehow with that knowledge I’ve allowed myself to essentially…not give a damn. Alopecia has taught me that there should be more to me than what I think others will assume of me based on something as little as a hairstyle. Alopecia, without consent stripped me naked. The trauma of that has left me a better person who literally sees the world in a different way now. I don’t see beauty based on what’s out there in media, film, magazines or Instagram. I see it living and growing inside individuals that choose themselves. I want to share this perspective with the world.