Angela Agnew spent nine years with long, flowing hair. When she noticed it thinning, a specialist confirmed what she feared: alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes patchy hair loss and affects nearly 7 million people in the United States. For years, Agnew hid under wigs, a choice many people facing hair loss understand completely.
What changed her course was seeing another woman bullied online for thinning hair. Agnew shaved her head on camera and went public with her diagnosis. Her hair loss is permanent, and she says accepting that reality was genuinely hard. Amy O’Rourke, an expert with Aging Untold, notes that hair loss can mean a profound loss of identity for both men and women.
Today Agnew advocates against online bullying and encourages other women facing the same condition, family or friend in your life who has dealt with hair loss? Or have you ever seen someone picked on online for the way they look? We’d love to hear your story.
