Emily and Angelina Mathew, aged 7 and 6, have a lot in common – a sense of fun, and high energy, loving parents. They also once had long, luxuriant black hair. But recently their mother, Lesley Pallathumadon, took them to the Kennedy Center Supercuts to have their hair cut into short, stylish bobs. The shorn hair, clipped off in ponytails, will be sent off to Locks of Love, a non-profit Florida organization that uses donated hair to create wigs for children with cancer, alopecia, or other conditions that cause the hair to fall out, such as extreme stress or trauma.
Though wigs can be made for boys or girls ages 6-21, most requests (85 percent) come from girls.
History is full of symbolic stories of young women recognizing and using the power and beauty of their own hair. Rapunzel in the tower unwound her golden locks to allow her prince to use them as a ladder with which to reach her. The stalwart and practical Jo March sobbed in bed at night, not because she’s found out that her father is sick, but because she had to sell her long hair to pay for some of his care. In the classic O. Henry story “The Gift of the Magi,” a young wife cuts off her waist-length hair for $20 so she can afford to buy a Christmas gift for her husband.
Lesley Pallathumadon, whose ancestry is Indian, says that in India long hair is perceived as more beautiful than short hair. “The longer the hair, the more precious it is,” she said.
Her own hair, which she says she also will donate some day, falls almost to her waist.
A gift of compassion
She was prepared for the hesitation and some nervousness her daughters experienced, but for the most part Emily and Angelina appeared to be happy that their cut hair is being used for a worthy purpose.
Two years ago, the girls donated their hair for the first time. Lesley explained that they were very young then and didn’t understand her explanations as to why they should do this.
“They thought it was like having their toys taken away, or their pretty dresses,” she said. “It felt like a punishment to them. This time, they understand better.”
In another two years, they will once again have the minimum 10 inches of hair to donate. Lesley thinks that both of her children are internalizing the value of compassion for and giving to those less fortunate than themselves, an important lesson she wants to instill in their lives.
And, she hastened to add, her daughters got an extra reward: a trip to Disney’s “Frozen on Ice.” But that was a surprise.
The day after their shearing, the girls appeared at the front door of their apartment, dressed identically in beautiful white dresses with lace-like trim. Their short hair was stylish. Asked if they liked their new haircuts, they shook their heads, patted down their hair, and laughed. Their response was a resounding, “Yes!”
Lesley held up two plastic bags, each one containing a 10-inch pony tail of beautiful, thick black hair that she would mail to Locks of Love. It requires at least six bundles to construct a single wig. Angelina, running back and forth from her bedroom to the dining room where Lesley sat, stopped for a minute to stare at one of the plastic bags. “It’s for a little girl with cancer,” she said.
Lesley smiled and pulled her daughter close to give her a hug.