Back in January 2021, I was diagnosed with androgenetic alopecia, which is basically just a fancier term for female pattern hair loss. When suffering from this condition, the hair starts to thin at the centre part and then gradually begins to spread across the crown of your head.
As you can imagine, upon receiving my diagnosis the world quite literally felt as though it was crumbling down around me. Not to be dramatic or anything, but despite no tears left to cry soundtracking my life at the time, it was never ending water works in the Thomson household.
In all seriousness though, following the diagnosis I was not in a great place. I was incessantly plagued by thoughts of rapidly losing my hair and I began to despise my own body because I felt so let down by it.
Just like so many other young girls, I spent my entire childhood captivated by Disney princesses – so much so that my parents felt it essential to ‘misplace’ my Sleeping Beauty video to wean me off my three watch a day addiction.
And so, it’s been ingrained in my psyche since the age of about three that long flowing locks are the hallmark of femininity. So, when you begin losing your hair, not only does it feel as though you’re watching your entire feminine identity being completely ripped away, but you also experience feelings of inadequacy – like you’re never going to match up in comparison to any other woman.
And the crazy thing is, I knew I wasn’t alone. Roughly one third of women experience hair loss at some point during their lifetime, and yet still, I felt so alone. And that my friends is due to the overwhelming amount of stigma that still surrounds the topic. Society oh so subtly implies that hair loss is something to be ashamed of, and so we should go to great lengths (no pun intended) to keep it hidden. And when the only form of mainstream dialogue regarding the issue is the usual gags about a 30-something year-old man clinging on to his ever-receding hairline, you can’t help but comply.
Sooo, for a while now I’ve considered launching my very own lil blog, for women suffering from hair loss – specifically the early stages – cause best believe it’s something I could have done with back in 2021. But up until now, I’ve stopped myself for two reasons…
First off, I was embarrassed and ashamed of my hair loss (usual from the usual eh). I’d agonise over all the potential comments people that I attended high school with might make (despite the fact I left that place nearly ten years ago). But then I got over it because seriously, who has time for worrying about all the bitching others may or may not be doing.
Secondly, when sharing the emotional turmoil I experience because of hair loss, I feel overwhelmed with guilt. I fully recognise that my current stage of hair loss is much less severe in comparison to many other women, and so I worry that it’s not my place to have this discussion. But, in order to make strides towards the de-stigmatisation of female hair loss, it’s surely important to have as many voices in the arena as possible, right?
And so, I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t go on without giving my tuppence worth… I hope you enjoy 
.