Longer hair , Flat Chest , the TV says thinner is better. Where do the standards of beauty come from ? As women , it can be our natural instinct to define our beauty based off standards created by the media and the attractions of a man.

Black Women are the largest market for hair care products and extensions. However, I do not fall into that category anymore because I had my head shaved. I was truly inspired by cousin who has been rockin’ short hair for a few years.

It has been five years since I have been “natural.” However, things started going downhill because I began to miss wearing my hair straight. The more I began to visit my favorite Dominican Salon, the less my hair coiled back up. The final straw was when I had my hair bleached from oriental black to a copper red.

I went down to Georgia for my cousins graduation and she was rocking a blonde shaved head. The next morning I was sitting in the chair of her personal barber. I was ready for something new. Mrs. Debra shaved my head and for the first time in years, I not only saw my natural hair color , I felt my hair at its rawest point . It was at that moment , that I could no longer hide behind my hair. Every blemish , skin imperfection and scar from a popped pimple would now show.

For the first few days of being bald, I would wake up and rub my shoulders if I had hair there. I would swing my head as if there was hair to follow suit. I felt vulnerable being stared at. I wondered if people were saying positive or negative things about me.

Then the compliments began to roll in. Not only from women but from males. To hear men just constantly call me beautiful and compliment on my hair really opened my eyes to a new light. I finally realized that I AM beautiful with or without hair.

As of now , I am rocking the platinum blonde amber rose cut and women are always asking me for advice. Women always want to know if I was scared? I simply respond and tell them that you will never know until you try it. People were curious to know if my Mom supported me as well. Well my mother's opinion never fails. She told me to do it because hair grows back and I have the face for a bald look. So , Thanks Mom for your support ! Who cares if the boys at your school do not like short hair, because you have to wake up to yourself and no one else.