At age 3, Sanah Jivani was diagnosed with a hair loss condition called Alopecia. After years of wearing wigs and being bullied for her appearance, she has decided to take matters into her own hands through a day she’s declared as “Natural Day.”
Within her “Natural Day” information packet, Jivani describes her life as a 12-year-old, losing her hair and not feeling beautiful when she looked in the mirror. Wishing she could gain the acceptance and love of others as well as herself, she turned to wigs. After two year’s time, she finally began to see her “beautiful brown eyes” and “pretty cheekbones.”
“For the first time, I understood the beauty I carried just by being me. From that day forward, I stopped wearing a wig. I vowed to myself that I would be natural. An overwhelming happiness came over me and I felt truly beautiful,” Jivani writes. “This made me realize that every person carries a unique beauty. Now, the question was this: How do I help others realize this, too?”
As a result of her own personal battle, the now 16-year-old created “Natural Day,” which takes place on February 13. In connection with the organization, WeStopHate,Inc., Jivani is encouraging people everywhere–especially students– to get involved. The information packet includes tips to get student leaders involved and ways to make it a trending topic within social media. They can also sell wristbands letting others know they are participating as well.
She is asking people to go without makeup, wigs or weave and just be themselves for a day. Visit WeStopHate’s site for more info and use the hashtags #TeamNatural and #NaturalDay to show your support to her, @SanahJivani and the organization, @WeStopHate.
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BMWK–Would you be willing to go natural for a day in support of revealing your true beauty? How will you implement these ideas in teaching your own children about being proud of their appearance?