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Meet Trailblazer Supriya Surender

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Supriya Surender.

Supriya, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When people tell me about their bad hair days, I have to laugh. You never fully understand what a bad hair day feels like until the day your hair starts falling out by the handful. That was my Spring and Summer of 2015. One long, miserable bad hair day. You see, I have a condition called Alopecia Areata. My immune system took it upon itself to decide that my hair follicles were the bad guys and started to go on the attack. Immune systems are really cool when they attack the right things but are honestly the worst when they go completely rouge for no reason.

I discovered I was in the midst of an alopecia flare up while I was getting ready for work. I was teasing my hair (because who doesn’t love some big hair?!) and ended with a pile of hair in my hands. From that day forward, my hair fell out by the handful. There was not a moment in the day where my body took a break from this follicle exodus. I was sleeping, I was awake, I was driving, I was at work, I was at the gym, I was doing anything and everything and my hair was falling. While my hair was falling, my mental state was crumbling. I’m no stranger to anxiety and depression. I’ve battled both for the bulk of my adult life. Combined with alopecia though, it was bad. I was SO angry at my body. I felt betrayed. I’ve always been healthy. I eat right and am a gym rat to the core. Why my body was doing this to me was beyond me.

In a short three months, my hair was gone. I looked like a small, Indian, Mr. Clean. Not a look I’ve ever pinned to a Pinterest board. That is for sure. My self-esteem was non-existent and I stopped living life to the fullest. In fact, I was barely living at all. Just going through the motions. I lost my body hair and eyebrows next, followed by my eyelashes. I was convinced that I was unlovable. I’ve known many guys who love running their hair through a woman’s hair, but how could I let a guy do that to me? My options were, run your hands through my wig and snatch it off, or give my bald head a little pat pat. I just didn’t see it. See how a guy could look at me and feel love when all I felt when I looked at myself was disdain and hate.

The next few years were a struggle. My days were filled with sadness and guilt. Mourning the loss of my hair and simultaneously feeling guilty for having such deep dark feelings about hair. If I had a penny for every time someone told me, “at least it’s just hair”, I’d be a very rich woman! Yes, it is just hair. Yes, there are people who have it way worse. Yes, I was so blessed to have my health. However, I challenge anyone who says or thinks that to take a pair of clippers to your head, eyebrows, and eyelashes and get back to me.

So, what changed? Welp, I almost died at the young age of 34. In the Fall of 2017, a massive pulmonary embolism shook some sense into me. A few months later, I turned 35 and decided to quit living in a perpetual pity party and start living my very best YOLO life. The strong, independent woman I once was started to slowly but surely reemerge. I had the most amount of fun bopping around Denver with my best friends and I even went on a couple of dates! I moved into an adorable new apartment and truly found happiness again.

During the winter of 2018, I decided to share my story with the world and started my blog Baldie Boo. This decision has let me heal in ways I never imagined. It has allowed me to fully make peace with my hair loss and embrace this new normal of life. Of course, there are still bad days, but the good days FAR outnumber those. I’ve been able to connect with baldies all over the world. It is a community like none other where we share in our struggles, laughs, and triumphs. A community where no woman ever needs laser hair removal because her body has taken care of it for her. Can you say silver lining? I never thought the thing that brought me so much sadness would be the catalyst to the thing that would bring me the most fulfillment I’ve ever felt in my life. I suppose life is just funny like that, but I can honestly say now I can’t wait to see what it brings on next.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The biggest obstacles I’ve faced since losing all of my hair have all been self-inflicted. There is literally nothing I cannot do because of my alopecia, but there are many things that I’ve chosen not to do because of fear associated with my hair loss. Fear of judgment from others because wigs and being bald are not normal in society.

The best advice I can give to women in this same boat is to choose your circle of people very carefully. My squad of friends and family have been my hype women and men through all of this. I wish every person dealing with alopecia could have the same level of support, but I know that is not the case. I know that there are people out there who judge and will say and do negative things when they see a woman without hair. To that I say, life is too short to surround yourself with people who bring you down or cause you negativity. Do not allow these energy suckers to dictate how you feel about yourself! You deserve to live a full and happy life. Set your bar high and don’t be afraid to live in a way that brings you the most joy. Maybe that is a life bald, or a life rocking wigs, or a life wearing stunning scarves or switching up your look every day. Do you and own it! The more you love yourself, the more good, kind souls will be attracted into your world. Never lose faith that your happiness will come back. It may take some time and some rough days, but that light at the end of the tunnel will shine bright if you keep at it!

Please tell us about Baldie Boo – what should we know?
My favorite part about starting Baldie Boo is that I get a forum where I can share my rawest emotions. Some days, that is me emotionally unloading and other days, it is me making fun of myself because ultimately what more can one do than just laugh at these circumstances? The connections I’ve made through this blog have been life-altering. Every day, I connect with more alopecians who have shared so much with me so openly. Their strength and courage build mine, and their struggles give me a purpose. A purpose to show those who are experiencing their darkest baldie days that life CAN and WILL get better.

What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
I cannot understate the importance of having fulfillment in life. For me, this came from starting my blog. No, it is not my full-time job, but it has given me drive and confidence that let me thrive at my 9-5 job. My advice is to make sure there is a piece of your life that is giving your passion and fulfillment. Whether that be your career, a passion project, starting a family, or anything else. Know that it is okay to march by the beat of your own drum and follow a path that you carve out for yourself even if it is outside of the box that is society’s norms. Chase happiness and find things to be grateful for every day. Trust that you’ve got this… even when you think you don’t!! 🙂

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Image Credit:
Baldie Boo, Greenchair Stories

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