FEELING beautiful, empowered and most importantly comfortable in her own skin, Mount Gambier resident Kyra Sykes is rocking her new fuzzy haircut after shaving her head for Headspace Mount Gambier over the weekend.
Attempting to break down society’s perception of gender specific hair length, Ms Sykes along with three friends Chloe Howell, Georgia Ploenges-Beltchev and Declan Robinson shared the message of self love during the I Am More Brain Shave at Metro Bakery and Cafe on Sunday.
Previously hiding behind her hair and using it as protection from the world around her, Ms Sykes feels more like herself after braving the shave.
“I will never forget the moment, sitting in front of a crowd of hundreds as the shave was happening and looking out to the sea of people who were cheering me on – it was so exhilarating and empowering,” she said.
“I feel awesome and more like me now.”
Overwhelmed with the support of the community, Ms Sykes said it was a special moment shared with family and friends.
“There was so much love and support at the event, it went way better than I could ever imagine,” she said.
“The art auction went amazingly, raising almost $1000 from three pieces and the cash donations exceeded our expectations.
“But I think the most emotional part of the day was when Christy Wallace performed a song written especially for me, it was so beautiful and tied everything together perfectly.”
Raising over $4000 for the local Headspace and donating her hair to Variety’s Hair With Heart program Ms Sykes said she was mostly excited to help other people feel happy with who they are.
“I am so excited to give this money to an organisation that I love and care so much about and put in place and action all of the projects,” she said.
“My hair will also be shipped off and someone will be able to wear it and feel confident and empowered, which is amazing.
“It’s really cool someone will wear my hair and feel fab.”
