I Am More Than My Hair

“I am not my hair, I am not this skin, I am not your expectations, I am the soul that lives within.” India Arie

From the time we are young, girls are pressured into a set belief of beauty standards. Hair is certainly high on the list and is often labeled as our “crown and glory.” Where does this notion fit for females with alopecia (the partial or complete absence of hair from areas of the body where it normally grows)?

I Am More Than My Hair, is a documentary film and photography book that includes stories of women who have experienced hair loss due to a health-related condition and their journey of self-empowerment to see beauty beyond the media’s standards.

A bald woman is usually perceived as a cancer diagnosis, given that the media depicts female baldness as relative to this deadly illness. Although it can be related to cancer, it is not always the case. Most are unaware of alopecia and the many reasons why a woman may experience hair loss. I Am More Than My Hair is an educational documentary focused on bringing awareness to alopecia and dispelling the myth of what beauty is “supposed” to look like.

Support Alyscia’s first documentary film I Am More Than My Hair. Your donation can support three causes:

1. Exhibition and screening presentations
2. Accessibility – making it accessible for people with visual and hearing disabilities. Alyscia has made it mandatory that the venues requesting her art for exhibition, include accessibility as a part of the program.
3. Film distribution

​Here’s a how you can offer your support:

Get a copy of the book by supporting the fundraiser for I Am More Than My Hair on Alyscia’s crowdfunding campaign on iFundwomen. Or you can make a tax-deductible donation via Women in Film & Video.

If you wish to make a donation by check, please make the check out to “Women in Film & Video” and note “I Am More Than My Hair” in the memo line.

Checks may be mailed to:

Women in Film & Video
1200 18th Street NW Suite 300
Washington, DC  20036 

“On October 24, 2013, I cut and donated my then sixteen years of dread locks, for a Big Chop to Stop Cancer event. I’ve wanted to cut my hair a few years prior to this day but was hesitant. Despite the constant headaches and head colds after going swimming (the thickness of my hair makes the drying time lengthy), I continued to hold onto to it. I had to remind myself… I AM NOT MY HAIR.

Before doing the Big Chop, I blogged about my forthcoming endeavor. Much of the feedback I received was discouraging. After all, people always knew me with long hair and thought the new “look” might not be a good fit. I’ll be honest and say I did question myself, going back and forth in the mirror, covering the front of my hair to visualize what I would look like without it.

For the first time, I experienced some serious fear and doubt it. Whispering quietly within, “I wonder how I’ll look without my hair? ” Very similar to the feelings of the women in Feminine Transitions, who had a difficult time being photographed without make-up. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable is not as easy as I thought.

Although it’s a different situation, as I did not lose my hair involuntarily, the emotional toll was eye-opening. Regardless, I decided that no one, including myself, was going to change my mind and I happily shaved it off.

This experience was the spark for the birth of I Am More Than My Hair. It is my way of responding to the criticism while creating awareness of alopecia.”

Nat R & Martha Knaster Charitable Trust