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Hairless Mom in the UK Writes Book to Educate Children About Diversity
by April Maguire
Hair loss comes in lot of different varieties. Typically, we think of the problem affecting men in their 40s or older, as their hairline gradually recedes and hair disappears from the crowns of their heads. However, nearly half of women suffer from hair loss as well, and while most of this loss is attributable to androgenetic alopecia (the same condition that causes male-pattern baldness), some of it has other underlying causes.
At 16 years old, Rebecca Dawe began to suffer from one of these rarer types of alopecia, which now, more than twenty years later, has left her virtually hairless over most of her body. As a result of her hair loss, Rebecca resorted to wearing wings at an early age. After finding the mass-produced, store bought wigs to be too uncomfortable and noticeable in public, Rebecca began to make her own as a way to showcase her personality and feel comfortable in her own skin.
But her creativity didn’t stop there. Now the 39-year-old mother of two from Lidlington has decided to channel her own personal struggle with hair loss into a children’s book entitled “Hairless Harri.” In the story, a young girl with no hair is initially mocked by her classmates, only to win them over with her beautiful personality, eventually becoming the most popular girl in school.
The Importance of Education
Whether we like to admit it or not, children can be cruel, as they routinely focus on differences and use them as a source of ridicule. This cruelty was something that Rebecca had to endure during her teenage years and into adulthood as she began to lose her hair. According to Rebecca, one of the main reasons that she decided to write “Hairless Harri” was to educate children about diversity and show them the benefits of celebrating our differences.
Experts agree that once kids are exposed to something that is foreign of strange to them – in this case, hair loss – they can start to normalize it. Subsequently, kids learn to accept these differences and no longer view them as strange or frightening. And the earlier that you can start this normalization process, the better. Accordingly, Rebecca’s book is aimed at younger children, ages four to seven.
Perhaps not surprisingly, educating children about hair loss and teaching them to accept individual differences isn’t Rebecca’s only goal. Reportedly, all of the proceeds from “Hairless Harri” will be donated to children’s cancer charities, allowing Rebecca to change even more lives for the better.
If you or someone you know would like to learn more about hair loss and how to treat it, please feel free to schedule a consultation or contact one of our representatives today!
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