I started to lose my hair just before my 21st birthday. I felt self-conscious, confused, unsightly. At first I took the medical route of oral and topical steroids, and I started wearing a wig. Then, after about 10 years, my boyfriend at the time helped me make the decision to go bald. He even shaved it for me!

After hiding under a wig for a decade, I finally felt free! Being a woman with no hair is a hard adjustment. It really makes you question beauty ideals and norms. It causes you to form new, progressive ideas around what’s deemed okay for a woman.

Michelle is a personal trainer from New Zealand. In her spare time she can be found reading, training, and hanging out with her horses. Follow her on Instagram: @mjayb7