Dear family, friends, and supporters of Collective Shout,
Allow me to be brief. Yes, I am well. And, while I intend to lose my hair, I’ve not lost my mind. Inspired by a number of men and women, I’ve decided to lop my locks for a worthy cause.
A few years ago, I came to Collective Shout disillusioned by the normalisation of raunch culture, the sexual objectification and commodification of women and their bodies in mainstream media, and the propagation of the myth that insists “successful” and “empowered” women must be sexy.
I was hurt. I was livid. And I was hungry for change.
Since meeting with and working alongside the inspiring team at Collective Shout, I’ve become heartened at the fact that there are others who see this and perceive it for the violence that it is, that there are others who are willing to make a stand for the dignity of women and girls, and that there are others who see the inherent worth of the individual instead of placing such great weight on physical appearance.
We are more than the way we look or appear to look–
We are our kindness and generosity;
We are our humour and wit;
We are our dedication and enthusiasm;
We are our love;
We are.
To all the naysayers, I say, “Yes, my profile may be awful according to the stringent parameters by which a woman’s worth is calculated in and by mainstream society, but I don’t care.”
I know I won’t rock the buzz cut like Cara Delevingne, Charlize Theron, or Natalie Portman, but my hope is that you’ll help the dedicated team at Collective Shout continue to rock at the remarkable work they do by sponsoring my “madness”.
Before:

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