Hair

 

https://scoop.upworthy.com/girl-born-with-uncombable-hair-syndrome-embraces-fuzzy-mane-548646?fbclid=IwAR00mxh3UEoG3fIkkxYmeXSWkAL1Sz_8rv0UGrtGMbsloATGHvutG5NatEE

Shilah Madison lives in Melbourne, Australia and is 11 years old. Shilah is inspiring thousands of people across the globe by embracing her difference. Shilah has different hair; it's called "uncombable hair syndrome" which means her hair cannot be combed flat, it feels dry and frizzy. 

Ever since she was a baby, Shilah has faced comments about her hair from people in the street and in her school; "I get teased a lot and get called Fluffhead - it's not nice."

"I personally like it now, but at the same time I hate it - especially when there's wind! Let's just say I can't see!"

Shilah'a mother says she knew her baby was different when she was three months old; "Her brown baby hair had fallen out as it should but this weird fuzz started to come through and grow straight up. It was nothing you'd ever seen before! It didn't seen to calm or settle, but I didn't really think anything of it until people started to make comments."

People would say, "What's wrong with her hair?". Mum says it was really hurtful. Often people would touch her hair without asking. Mum would say, "Do you mind? She's just a baby and we don't go around touching your kids."

Shilah's frustration peaked when he was four years old and she couldn't pull it back in to a pony tail. Shailah chopped her hair off and it became spiky. That was the only time she had a hair cut. After that, Shilah started to embrace her hair; "Just call me fuzzy. Sometimes I look like a lion with a crazy mane." Shilah started to tell people that she was magical and special and they were just normal and boring."

A doctor said they had never seen anyone in Australia with uncombable hair syndrome and that Shilah was one in a million. Mum says Shilah has the personality to make a difference. Shilah says, "You just have to love yourself, who cares about everyone else."

- What is different about Shilah?
- How does Shilah feel when people tease her?
- What should Shilah do when people at school tease her?
- If you heard someone teasing Shilah at school, what would you do?
- Is Shilah the only one who is different? Do we all have differences? How are we different from each other?
- Why do some people touch Shilah's hair, why is that a problem?
- Is it ok for us to touch hair on another person? Why not?
- "Shilah started to embrace her hair," what does this mean? What changed?
- "You just have to love yourself, who cares about everyone else." Why does Shilah say this?
- What can we learn from Shilah?
- Why is this about No Outsiders?



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