Who are we to question people’s identity, making people feel they have to look ‘normal’ to be accepted?
I decided I wanted to do something different with my make-up, something more dramatic. Searching the YouTube nation for make-up tutorials, I came across young teenager Talia Castellano. Talia is a bright thirteen-year-old, with an addictive personality. A natural beauty, big brown eyes, a strong bone structure, fabulous nails and hairless. Talia has cancer.
Drawn to her optimistic character and fierce make-up; her baldness did not make me question her health once. Having 2,037,031 hits on one video and 2.5 million Instagram followers, you can see how inspiring Talia is to many women around the world. The Cover Girl and fashion designer - with her collection, “That Bald Chick” - embraced her illnesses, as she battled Stage Four Neuroblastoma and Leukemia.
Talia accomplished more in thirteen years than some people could only dream of. Her fighting spirit, always on display, she talks of her journey and expresses, “Make-up is my wig… I don’t like wearing wigs so I wear make-up to feel good and pretty inside - and I guess outside,” stating on the Ellen DeGeneres show “If someone’s looking at me, they’re looking at my make-up, not looking at my bald head.”
Talia had a purpose, but this brave young girl, who matured before her years, unfortunately died on the 16th July 2013. When asked how she stayed so positive, she responded, “A little fish once told me, just keep swimming, just keep swimming!”
Talia’s story gave me the motivation to discover more inspiring, strong women who are experiencing or have battled cancer.
The mind challenging and physically demanding side effects of cancer can cause patients confidence and self-esteem to deplete. Having spoken to a nurse on the Hematology and Bone Marrow transplant unit at St James’s Hospital Leeds, she felt fashion and beauty improved the patient’s confidence, “ Patients are often feeling low about the way they will look once the treatment has started. Once you have provided them options, for example a wig, they experiment and have fun with a different hairstyle every week!”
Searching the Instagram platform, I discovered sixteen year-old cancer sufferer, Emma Thurling. She owns four wigs; two blonde and two pink, she uses these so people do not treat her differently. “I feel it helps me to live a normal life as I can look in the mirror with make-up on and a wig and I look completely fine. It takes my mind off what I'm going through and other people don’t notice what's really going on.” However, I spoke to Margaret who survived cancer twice yet revealed, “When I lost my hair I felt suicidal… As crazy as it sounds, I was more affected by the loss of my hair than I was of the cancer. I wore wigs and scarves both of which I hated. When talking to anyone I felt they were looking more at my wig …I managed to wear two scarves of different colours and it looked quite effective.”
Fashion cannot make everyone feel positive. Twenty-two year old Alma states that she didn’t feel any happier in herself, “ I had no energy to put make-up on or to dress up nice, and I would spend my days in pyjamas.”
Speaking to many inspirational people, I have learnt how important fashion and beauty really is, but also how judgmental we can be. Margaret declares, “I truly envy those who can walk in freedom of paranoid thoughts when faced with the loss of something. My hair never looks anything special but it is what helps to make me.” Who are we to question people’s identity, making these people feel they have to look ‘normal’ to be accepted? These women do not let cancer take control over their identity; they only allow themselves to be them.
It’s not just girls however, young boys and men also turn to fashion, whether it is wearing different hats, or embracing the fantasy world as five year old Charlie does. Charlie’s uncle Matt explained, “He loved to feel like a super hero and this kept him smiling throughout his treatment.” His mother adding, “fashion was important to us at that time, it made him feel that he fitted in a bit better and made him feel more confident. It made me feel I was a bit more in control at a time when I had no control over anything else.”
There are services available to cancer patients, including Macmillan’s collaboration with national chemist Boots. Boots recognises the visible side effects of cancer treatments, which effect over three quarters of women, resulting in a negative impact on their confidence, “While more than two thirds said they didn’t know how to disguise them,” announced the Macmillan website. There are make-up advisors provided through No7 in Boots stores, offering support to those with cancer. Unfortunately, people I spoke to seem to be unaware of this service. Margaret notified me that during her treatment no one informed her of how to make the most of what she had, “I would have paid anything to have that person.”
An inspiring end to Nicola Hook’s interview (Charlie’s mother) she acknowledged, “Although appearance is not a priority when fighting cancer, the psychological effects are enormous. Cancer awareness is everywhere, but people still find it soul destroying to walk around with a bald head and a fragile body. There should be more focus on appearance, encouraging people not to fear what others think. The bald head, pale skin, and fatigued body is a sign of one hell of a brave fight, and people should be proud.”
“Cancer is the best thing that has happened to me,” stated Emma, powerful words you would never think you would hear from someone with cancer. The people I have spoken to, understand the importance of fashion, creating an influential and conventional beauty that helps to relieve their pain. Nevertheless, is it right that the ideals of beauty are used to make them feel better? It is fair to say, if the industry does help, then why question what they are doing. I certainty didn’t think that fashion and beauty would have an impact on people with terminal illnesses, I was proven wrong.
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