My sister, Georgia, told me she was going bald, and I immediately started laughing. “Madison, I’m dead serious,” she said with the annoyed look, I get way too often. My laugh abruptly stopped. “Yeah right,” I thought. “She’s pulling my foot.” Why would any 17-year-old girl in a high school with 4-5,000 kids want to go bald? This is where my sister and I’s differences stand out. We are on opposite sides of the personality spectrum. I am the well-behaved, play it safe, boring, plain-Jane, “gets home 30 minutes before curfew” type of child.
Georgia is not. She is dramatic, loud and difficult. She is the “Fancy Nancy” from the children's book we read as little girls and the reason for my parent’s gray hairs. However, Georgia’s personality lights up a room as soon as she walks in. Everyone adores her — how could they not? She is sweet and kind to everyone she meets. Her heart is as big as life. Many times, younger siblings tend to look up to the oldest of the family; this is not one of those situations. In many ways, I look up to my younger sister Georgia, but it was through her connection to Alopecia that I truly began to admire her bravery, respect her commitment and be inspired by her passion.
No one could pay me enough money to go bald. I cried for weeks when I got two inches taken off, panicking that it was never growing back. Yet, my sister set off to look like our uncle, as bald as the American bird. Turns out, a movie called "Wig’d Out" offered Georgia the lead role based on a girl in our local community, Olivia Rusk, who suffers from Alopecia.
Alopecia is an autoimmune disease that leads to the inability to grow hair in its entirety and impacts millions of women around the world every year. The movie producers asked my sister if she would shave her head for the role. Of course, my parents supported this decision 100 percent, arguing that going bald for a role would get her recognition in the filming industry. I, being the encouraging older sister that I am, told her that if she went through with it, she would commit social suicide. My opinion clearly was irrelevant because that summer, my sister walked into a hair salon with a full head of golden hair and left looking like the rapper, Pitbull.
Georgia’s decision to shave her head at age 17 is astounding, especially because teenagers can be superficial about their looks and place high value on appearances. However, my sister is content with her decisions and doesn’t look for permission from others – a character trait I aspire to have. That type of bold-faced bravery is hard to find in our generation and one of the many qualities I learned from her and hope to master myself. Even though I didn’t envy her lack of hair, I envied her unwavering bravery and commitment to supporting her passion.
My little sister has always been passionate about acting, but it was through her commitment to playing the role of Olivia that her passion really came to life. The hours she spent locked in her room memorizing lines, the summer days spent shooting scenes instead of lying by the pool with friends and her ability to balance the demands of moviemaking with everything else going on in her life humbly portrayed her commitment and dedication. I learned from Georgia that committing to something wholeheartedly, no matter how hard or time-consuming, is important to growing a passion and succeeding in life.
Months after my sister went bald, I now write this story from an airplane headed to Indiana to surprise her at the premiere of her movie. What a crazy journey this has been for our family, and we could not be more proud and inspired by our Georgia! What my sister did is a reminder to all of us that just because we can’t all be movie stars at 17, that doesn’t mean we can’t reciprocate bravery, commitment and passion in our own lives. Be brave, carry a sense of confidence, relentlessly chase a passion and refuse to be defeated by life’s obstacles.
