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What was it like for you when you found out that you had alopecia. How long did it take to accept this fact?
The whole process was super long and hard. I first lost my hair when I was 10 years old within only one month. Being so young, living in a small town and especially during a time with no social media, made it all even more difficult. I felt so alone and like a complete alien. I could find no one that looked like me. I went through a big depression as a kid.
Everybody looked the exact same where I grew up. So, for me, the obvious “solution” to that “problem” was to hide my bald head. I wore wigs from 10 to 12 years old. Nobody knew for a fact that I was bald. Some people were asking questions obviously and some children would try to pull on my wig but it never fell off. I actually do not have that many memories of those two years with a wig.
Today, I feel like the situation would be different. With social media, the world being a little more accepting and progressively promoting more diversity, it is finally possible for children with alopecia to find people to identify with.
Thankfully my hair grew back during high school so for 7 years I “only” had bald patches to hide.
It took me 9 years before I publicly started to talk about it and truly accept it. Nine years is a long time when you are hiding something! What truly helped me is meeting other people with alopecia through an organisation in the US called Children Alopecia Project.
Then, I lost my hair again when I was 19. That’s when everything changed. I truly decided that this time would be different and that I would do anything I could to be the person I was looking for as a child.
What was the trigger of it?
Contrary to what many people think, most times there are no triggers at all for alopecia. Anyone could lose their hair tomorrow for no apparent reason. Obviously, we saw many doctors when I first lost my hair but nobody ever found out why it started.
Alopecia is an auto-immune condition that makes your hair fall off. It is simply your auto-immune system that attacks your hair because it sees it as a threat. For that reason, I like to compare it to allergies because it is similar in a certain way; nobody knows why the body is rejecting a specific type of food, just like nobody knows why the body of someone with alopecia is rejecting their hair. That is also why I really insist on using the word condition while talking about alopecia. I’m perfectly healthy!
Countless articles about alopecia seem to love using the expression “suffer from alopecia” and I think that should change. It is really not helping to destroy the stigma around the condition. Instead, I prefer to say I have alopecia, just like someone has allergies.
I am not saying having alopecia is easy. It can be really hard mentally and emotionally. It can be really isolating without the right help and/or the right mindset. However, it is harder specially because people can be really mean because they are not aware of the condition or they are totally misinformed.
Tell us about your career. How did you start your path?
What were the reactions in modeling agencies to your appearance?
What was your favorite fashion show?
The presentation "Long fingers to ma toes" of Henrik Vibskov. What did this project mean to you? Do you prefer a typical presentation on the runway or when it is more artistic?
Canada, Greece or France for work? What do you prefer more for your future?
What is the fashion world to you. Is it cruel?
What advice you would give to people who go through several mental breakdowns because they are pressured by "the norms" of the society?
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