Where Are the Women With Alopecia in Beauty and Fashion? It’s Time for Real Representation.
Women with alopecia are still almost invisible in beauty and fashion… and honestly, it’s long past time that changed.
I’ve lived with hair loss since I was fifteen. At the time, I was already dealing with cystic acne, insecurity, and every pressure that teenage girls face around beauty and identity. But losing my hair made me feel like I had fallen off the map completely. I never saw anyone who looked like me in a magazine, on a runway, in a commercial, or in the brands I admired.
That kind of invisibility does something to you. It teaches you to hide, to shrink, to stay small.
Why Representation Matters More Than Most People Realize
Almost every woman I support inside Hair Loss Pride tells me some version of the same story:
“I never see anyone who looks like me.”
“I thought I was the only one.”
“I don’t feel represented anywhere.”
The stigma around women’s hair loss didn’t magically appear. It exists because female hair loss is rarely shown, and almost never normalized, in the beauty or fashion world.
That’s wild when you think about the reality:
Millions of women live with androgenic alopecia
Millions more experience telogen effluvium, autoimmune loss, scarring alopecias, chemo-related loss, traction alopecia, and more
Women lose hair in every form you can imagine: thinning, patchy loss, diffuse shedding, full baldness
And yet… they never see themselves reflected.
Not in “clean beauty”
Not in luxury campaigns
Not in mainstream fashion
Not in lifestyle brands supposedly focused on “real women”
Representation isn’t a buzzword, it’s a lifeline. It’s visibility, safety, belonging, and dignity.
Why I’m Speaking Up Now
Running Hair Loss Pride has shown me something powerful: women with alopecia want to be seen, included, and celebrated- not pitied or hidden.
These women are strong.
They are diverse.
They are stylish, creative, ambitious, and vibrant.
They have stories worth telling and faces worth showing.
It’s time for brands to catch up. That’s why I’m putting this out publicly and unapologetically:
I’m actively looking to collaborate with brands who want to lead the change in representation.
If you’re a Vancouver-based or Canadian clothing, lifestyle, or beauty brand, here’s what that could look like:
Featuring women with alopecia in your campaigns and imagery
Bringing authentic hair-loss representation to social content
Collaborating with me on storytelling and inclusive marketing projects
Bringing me in to consult or support the development of a campaign
Creating opportunities for members of my community to be involved
This isn’t about putting me at the front. It’s about opening the door wider; so women who’ve never seen themselves represented finally can.
Hair Loss Doesn’t Make Women Less Beautiful, But Excluding Them Does
We’re at a moment where consumers want authenticity more than ever. They want to see real people, real stories, and real faces. Beauty standards are slowly shifting, but women with alopecia deserve to be part of that shift, not left out of it. The women in my community aren’t asking for special treatment. They’re asking to exist, to be visible, and to be included.
That’s the bare minimum.
If You’re a Brand Ready to Do Better, I Want to Hear From You
If you’re interested in creating something truly inclusive together:
✨ Email me at therealtamiwong@gmail.com or DM me on IG @hairlosspride
✨ My community is ready to get involved
✨ I’m passionate about helping you do this the right way
Let’s make representation real, not performative. Let’s make it visible, not hidden. Let’s make space where women with alopecia finally feel seen.
If you’re a brand that wants to lead that change, reach out. Let’s build something that matters.
