Bald Move: For the Bald and Bold

Launched in June 2019, Bald Move was set up in response to a gap in the market for fashionable alternatives to wigs. Currently selling through Etsy, Bald Move sell beautiful, ethical and practical handmade headscarves, and now headbands. Each item bought, provides a £5 donation towards Trekstock Ltd, a young adult support group for cancer sufferers and CLIC Sargent, a leading cancer charity for children, young people and families. 

I went to school with its founder, Sophia Rossi, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in January 2019. Reductively, as someone who has thankfully never had to deal with cancer outside of the movies, the narrative surrounding the condition, especially for young sufferers, has rightfully been heartbreaking.  Sophia has always been a ball of positivity, a happy, effervescent, fun loving individual and her reaction to her cancer diagnosis and now recovery, has been nothing less than this, largely subverting mainstream expectation.   

I sat down with Sophia to ask some questions, hear more about her life changing experience and the business.  

In case some people reading this are unsure, what actually is Hodgkin's Lymphoma? 

Hodgkin's Lymphoma is a blood cancer that starts in the lymphatic system which is the site where your body fights infection. Like some other cancers, it is caused by a mutation in your cells, so it is not caused or triggered by anything. It's just bad luck! 

Is there a certain demographic of people who tend to be diagnosed with it? 

Interestingly, it is most common in people aged 16-25 and then 60+. 

What are the symptoms in diagnosis? 

The main symptoms are night sweats, itchy legs, lumps on your armpits, neck or other glands (I had a 4cm to 6cm lump on my chest), fatigue, breathlessness or a cold that you just can't shake off.

For a lot of young people, their experience of cancer, is informed by such titles as My Sister's Keeper and more recently, A Fault In Our Stars. Do you think these stories have helped discussions surrounding cancer? Or perhaps do you feel that these films might romanticise the condition? 

This is an interesting question and I have never thought about it before. 

I think that both of those films address a massive issue that arises with cancer, namely the affect that it has on your family, which I don’t think is discussed enough. I know that at times my illness was harder for my mum or my ex-boyfriend than it was for me. For example, when I wanted to do something that wasn’t a good idea because I wanted to feel like me again, like go on a 5k run or go out, they had to watch me put myself at risk and that was hard for them. Cancer does put a strain on your relationships and I think both of those films address that well. 

However, I do think these films are heavily dramatized and the effect of that is they often lose the gravity of the illness. Cancer is horrible, but it’s not the rushes to the hospital that are the worst, it is the slow insidious nature of chemotherapy that messes with your mental and physical health. 

Both of those films also don’t discuss their life before cancer and my biggest problem with the disease, wasn’t my crumbling health, but what I had left behind. I just wanted to be at uni with my mates playing lacrosse and getting on with my life. 

You went to America recently for Proton Therapy. What was your experience like? 

Well this is funny, because at first I thought I was going to MIAMI but found out two weeks before that it was Jacksonville. Classic Sophia. 

It was honestly the best place for me to recover from chemo. Proton therapy is amazing. The team was so so nice and I only went in everyday for an hour, so we could go on and do something fun in the afternoon. It was so warm and sunny and the apartment had a gym and pool- so I used it as my health reboot. I was able to run, do workouts every other day and yoga everyday. My physical health was growing day by day and my eyebrows came back in one week! 

I look back on the trip with such fond memories as my mother and I, in particular, grew closer and my health improved every day. It was also so much fun when my brother came out for the last week and really made it into a holiday. 

Finishing my treatment was emotional, but finishing there, made it so joyful and sunny.

What are the best ways to support your love ones with similar diagnoses? 

Just be the friend that you were before, but with a bit more sympathy. You don’t have to put any pressure on yourself to be their number one carer, they hopefully have got family that can help with that. Just make the effort to go and see them and talk about the things you would have before. Also, if they’re anything like me, then bring a donut.

How have you dealt with being on social media during your recovery? Especially considering the expectations already placed on young people?  

When I was done with my treatment I went through a phase where I didn’t want to know about cancer, because if I started to look at the subject I would just freak out at the epic journey that I had just been through, so I had to turn my account off for a while. 

However, when I dealt with what was going on in my head, I could go back on and offer my advice or keep up with updates from the friends I had made on the way. 

Whilst I was ill, I really didn’t care about my appearance because I had other things to think about, but I think it does affect me now because I would love to have long hair again and feel attractive. So I’ve un-followed anyone that makes me feel bad about my appearance (I used to follow lots of gym accounts etc). That is the thing with social media though, you have to take control of it and remember that no one is as happy as they are on their social media.

You also have your own blog, what kind of content do you cover and how has this helped with your recovery? 

Yes! Bald mover, as you can tell I was obsessed with that pun for a little while. 

I started the blog to keep my family and friends updated, to give others who were entering my situation advice and also because I missed studying and using my brain (odd I know). I covered my news and results as well as my tips for what to do if you have just been diagnosed. I did quite a big research project on the benefits of exercising alongside cancer treatment and then documented my own experience. 

The blog really helped me to process my own thoughts on what was going on and the response gave me so much support.

Why did you set up Bald Move? 

I set up the company for three reasons: 

1. I wanted to raise money for Trekstock and give something back. 
2. I felt there wasn’t a fashionable alternative to wigs, if you didn’t want to faff about tying a headscarf. 
3. I was very bored being ill and needed something to do. I’ve never been very good at doing nothing. At school, I was part of every extra-curricular activity and watching Netflix all day was really not the life for me. I needed a purpose.

How do you wear your headscarf? 

I still wear mine today even though I have hair now. I have one that I wear around the house and one that I wear when I’m going to London or when I’m feeling a bit out there and confident. 

I first started wearing them because I didn’t like wearing a wig because I felt that I was lying to myself. 

We decided to make them out of cotton, so that they would be comfortable, could be tied as loosely as you wanted, whilst still retaining their shape and staying on your head. 

How to tie your Bald Move headscarf 

Why buy from Bald Move, as opposed to another brand?

Personally, I think they are unique. 

For the headscarves: A lot of thought has gone into the design and there are two features that I think really make them stand out from the rest. 

The first is that they have padding in the back of them, which enhance the shape and therefore the wearer’s appearance. When you wear a normal headscarf when you are bald, you can look a little bit like a pin head and having the padding corrects the proportions of that problem. It is also warmer and more comfortable. 

Secondly, it is one easy tie, there is no faffing about and when I take mine off now I don’t even undo the tie I just keep it tied so that I can put it on like a hat when I next wear it. 

For the headbands: I get all of the embellishments from markets and charity shops, so not only are they sustainable, but they are complete one-offs. No one will be wearing the same headband as you at any party. 

Finally, by buying a BM headband or headscarf, you are donating £5 to two brilliant cancer charities and it is quite rare that a company would give this much of their profits to such a deserving cause.

Sophia Rossi, Founder of Bald Move 

What relationship have you had with Trekstock and CLIC Sargent?

When I was first diagnosed, I felt so lost and I didn’t even understand what I was going through. I remember typing into Instagram ‘Hodgkin’s Lymphoma’ and the first post that came up was one from Trekstock about Georgie Swallow, a girl who I find completely and utterly inspiring. 

Trekstock works to connect young people going through the same thing by organising parties and meet-ups. They also put a HUGE importance on getting moving which I value so much. 

While I was undergoing treatment, my CLIC Sargent social ambassador was Peggy. Every time I had chemo, she would be there to hold my hand and listen to whatever problems or funny scenario I had going on. She’d arrange meet ups and organise free tickets for me to get out. She made such a difference to such a horrible time and if I could link the money up to her bank account I would, but I want to support the charity so that someone else going through the same thing can have their own Peggy. 

Where do you see the company going in the future?

I would like to continue with the company and grow it every year. I’d like to find somebody who I can pay to help me make the headscarves and keep evolving with trends. However, in the immediate future I will take a pause on the company as I go on a ski season to have a bit of fun. 

If you could achieve one thing from Bald Move, what would it be?

To know that wearing a Bald Move headscarf has given someone a little bit of confidence to go out into the world and kick cancer's butt.

Make sure to follow Sophia and Bald Move on Instagram to see what this Queen gets up to next. It has been such an honour and privilege to be trusted to discuss her story so far. Please also check out Trekstock and CLIC Sargent's website if you want to find out more about the charities. 

Treat yourself or your loved ones with head wear that will make a real difference.