Baldiness

Children Pay Price for Hair Trade

by Bald Man on July 6th, 2006

I came across this story about the Indian hair trade, and today seems like a good day to go into it.

I like to have my fun here at Baldiness.com. I joke about lasers and the other crap foisted on people to help them regrow hair. I’ve developed a certain infatuation for Ms. Gail Porter, who is choosing to live her very public life sans wig. This light-heartedness is intentional and necessary. Too many take hair loss too seriously. Involuntary hair loss can be a shock because of it’s dramatic affect on appearance, and so I can understand why some would investigate extensive counter-measures. I have no intent to minimize or belittle. Rather, I hope to contribute to a healthier perspective on hair loss as a whole. Specifically: Baldness, no matter the cause and no matter the attempted remedy, isn’t the end of the world.

“I was held down by a gang of men who hacked at my hair. I know other women who have been blackmailed and threatened… in some cases their husbands have received money for their hair and ordered their wives to have their heads shaved. There is a lot of money to be made…. The police don’t care, they will do nothing to protect women.” ~19-year-old Uma

Well, the bald aren’t alone in their obsession over their heads. The list is extensive: Perms, colors, bleaches, extensions, weaves, wigs. It would seem that none of us - hairy and bald alike - are good enough on our own… or so some would like us to believe. But let us consider the cost of our beauty pursuits. What was once I’m sure an innocent byproduct of religious devotion is becoming an opportunity for terror and exploitation. Amoral entrepreneurs are preying on those least able to defend themselves or recover.

Again, I realize this isn’t the end of the world. There are far worse situations that these girls and young women could be forced into. But this should not go ignored. What I’m sure began as an innocent byproduct of religious devotion has been perverted into yet another way to exploit poor and desperate people. It is further evidence that too many in our world value their own gain over the life and dignity of another. Or that they have bought the lie that they can only prosper at the expense of another. I ask you to read the story with compassion and one eye turned inward examining your own perspective on life.

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POSTED IN: Bald Children, Topic du Jour