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Influencer reveals her private struggle with hair loss

Influencer Dani Austin has revealed she's experiencing hair loss. Photo: Instagram/DaniAustin
Influencer Dani Austin has revealed she's experiencing hair loss. Photo: Instagram/DaniAustin

In the tangled web of myths imparted upon women, hair, like weight, reigns as one of the criteria for beauty and femininity.

From Disney princesses to Barbies, superheroes to pop stars, young girls are inundated with imagery of women with thick, flowing hair.

But what happens when you unexpectedly begin losing your hair? How do you cope with suddenly being without what the Bible has dubbed a woman’s ’crowning glory’?

Earlier this month, blogger and social media influencer Dani Austin confronted these issues on a public scale.

The bubbly content creator from Dallas, Texas, revealed to her more than 285,000 followers that she has resorted to wearing wigs after experiencing significant hair loss that became impossible to hide.

After months of privately struggling, the 26-year-old ultimately decided to share her hair loss journey with her followers after she received several messages asking if she had done something to alter her appearance.

In an emotional video posted to YouTube, Dani revealed it was her husband, Jordan Ramirez, who encouraged her to purchase her first wig.

The 22-minute video, shows Austin struggling to manage the shame and embarrassment from losing her hair, magnified by the pressure she feels to maintain a picture-perfect image as a lifestyle and fashion blogger.

“As a woman, my hair has always been what makes me feel feminine,” Dani told Yahoo Canada.

“As an influencer I have always tried my best to be transparent and real with my followers… I really contemplated and talked with my husband back and forth about every option on the spectrum to keep hidden what I was going through.

“I thought about everything from just not telling people I was wearing a wig to distancing myself from blogging altogether for a while. I let the shame of the situation make me feel like I was alone.”

Dani first began experiencing hair loss earlier this year. Photo: Instagram/daniaustin
Dani first began experiencing hair loss earlier this year. Photo: Instagram/daniaustin

Dani went on to say she initially blamed herself for her hair loss, revealing that she attributed her former struggle with trichotillomania, a hair pulling disorder, and years of bleaching, dying and wearing extensions as possible contributing factors to her current situation.

Although she has yet to receive a formal diagnosis as to why she suddenly began experiencing hair loss, Dani noted that many medical professionals have attributed her hair falling out due to stress.

The video, which has garnered more than 400,000 views and counting, introduced Dani to an entire community of women who struggle with hair loss for a variety of reasons.

“When I shared my story, I fully expected to be labelled as ‘the wig girl,’” she said.

“What I didn’t realise was there are thousands of women experiencing the same hair loss as me. It was not just something that I as keeping hidden in shame but thousands of women were too for reasons ranging from trichotillomania, stress, alopecia, chemo...This was the biggest surprise.

“It was a hidden epidemic that no one seemed to be talking about. When I realized that, it changed from me trying to avoid the label of being the ‘wig girl’ to realizing that there is purpose in all of this...There is power in acknowledging our wounds and keeping them visible.”

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