When Natalie asked us if we would be able to share her spoken-word poem, about her life with alopecia areata, with our community, we were happy to oblige. 

Natalie's performance and words are powerful and emotional and may be triggering for some viewers. 

Natalie explains: 

This was the first poem I wrote and when I started to write it, it was very emotional as I found looking back retrospectively, I was finally able to articulate a lot of feelings and emotions I perhaps wasn't ready to face at certain points in my life. Getting these words out there has made me feel really empowered. I am still not at a perfect place of acceptance but exposing myself in this way, with words, is a huge way forward for me.

Performing this in front of an audience, particularly the first time, was nerve-wracking as it is exposing a private thing about myself, which for years I have always tried to hide. But saying these words to strangers felt so cathartic and it's something I want to continue to perform and say. Each time gaining more and more acceptance and ownership over something I have let have too much of a hold on me.

I hope this poem resonates with other people who have suffered hair loss, and that my words are something they can directly relate to, especially some of those, who like me, had this happen in childhood. I hope they can identify with the complex feelings - shame, secrecy but also acceptance and the strength it gives you. 

Thank you to Natalie for sharing her words with us. You can find Natalie on TikTok here.