A seven-year-old girl with alopecia celebrated her school’s “crazy hair day” with style — and plenty of sparkle. Gianessa Wride, who was diagnosed with the condition in January, arrived at her Utah school with gemstone scrapbooking stickers adorning her head, crafted into floral and owl designs, Teen Vogue reports.
“She looked in the mirror and said, ‘Mom, this is awesome!’” Gianessa’s mother, Daniella Vianti Wride, said in a statement to Yahoo Beauty.
Yahoo Beauty reports that Gianessa started losing her hair in January. Wride said that she was brushing her daughter’s hair when she noticed a large piece fall out. Gianessa had lost all of her hair three weeks later when a dermatologist diagnosed her with alopecia. This condition is an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss all over the body.
Gianessa’s mom told Yahoo Beauty that while her daughter’s hair could grow back, it is unlikely, especially given that she has lost her eyebrows and lower eyelash hair.
“She’ll probably be bald for the rest of her life, and since wigs make her head itch, we use beanies, hats, and scarves,” Wride said.
While some young people experiencing hair loss may have avoided “crazy hair day,” Gianessa embraced it, Wride said in a statement to KSL.
“She just wants to be like everybody else, and have fun and participate,” she said. “There’s no sense in taking that experience away from other kids.”
As many other women are heading to hair salons for color treatment that requires touch ups every four to six weeks, Gianessa is stunning with her DIY style. The glittery hair design drew admiration from the other students as she arrived at school, and the school even renamed the celebration “crazy head day.”
“We pulled up to the drop-off point and she started to get out of the car, and you could just hear the kids and the teacher saying, ‘That’s so cool, that’s awesome!’” Wride said to KSL.
As Gianessa’s story makes headlines internationally, the young girl continues to inspire others with alopecia. Her confidence challenges the standards put in place by the $400 billion global beauty and personal care industry.
“Gianessa is awesome,” Wride told KSL. “She wants people to feel comfortable with who they are; just embrace life and have fun and be fierce and be an inspiration to others.”
Photo via Daniella Wride on Instagam