As a mother of a 6-month old boy, discussions on gender stereotypes are the furthest thing from my mind. It’s one thing to talk to adults about the topic at a dinner party, but talking to a child about it is very scary. It’s a topic you want to get right—the first time. Virginia Mellen, a 27-year-old woman who lives in Maine with her husband and 15-month-old son decided to broach the topic early and show her child that there’s no particular way a woman is supposed to look.
To do this, Mellen gave herself a buzz cut and posted the photo to the Facebook group Pantsuit Nation. Mellen told Yahoo Beauty, “the first time I shaved my head I was 17, and I just wanted to try something new. I didn’t think very much about how people would react, or what shaving my head might symbolize to others.” But this time around was much, much different. Now a mother and wife, Mellen was slightly concerned that others would incorrectly think she was shaving it for a political reason. But Mellen couldn’t have been further from the truth. The photo received more than 45,000 reactions and 2,500 comments since Sunday.
“I want my son to grow up with a mom who doesn’t make decisions about her appearance based on what other people think,” she wrote in the post. “I want him to know that there is no particular way a mom or a woman is ‘supposed’ to look. So last night I shaved my head, and you know what? I don’t think he noticed.”
Sure, this mom shaved her head, but here are other reasons to get a buzz cut:
- Watch Eleven From Stranger Things Get Her Head Shaved
- Amandla Stenberg's New Buzz Cut Will Make You Want to Ditch Your Long Hair
Kudos to Mellen for deciding to raise her son with an understanding of (and respect for) gender identity. Taking a stand is never easy, but it’s always worth it in the end. “A hairstyle may seem a little trivial, but shaving my head makes me feel powerful because it is a daily reminder that I made a decision based on my own self-image, and not based on our society’s expectations,” she said.
Now watch how selfies keep a beauty-obsessed mother/daughter duo connected:
