India Arie

 

Grammy Award-winning singer India Arie has always been able to make a statement with her bold hairstyles. The hairstyle that riled up the media and her fans the most was when she decided to go bald in 2002. This then lead up to the release of her song titled “I am Not My Hair” in 2005.

 

“It’s about dogmatic self-definition and on the other hand self-definition and not allowing anyone to define you based on their parameters” she stated during an interview on NPR.[1]

 

India had begun to feel stressed by the media, feeling obliged to always act the way that was expected of her. Removing her hair was her way of saying to the world that she was going to be in charge of defining who she is and not the media. This set an example to women everywhere that it is important to always remember who they really are and to not let society’s standards affects the way they act and appear.

 

India Arie was hailed by her fans for her actions. One fan stated “when you went bald, you were still beautiful.” [2] This showed the world and the media that a woman doesn’t need hair to be labeled as beautiful and to make it as a top-chart singer. India proved to everyone that having hair does not define beauty and that being bald can be empowering.