Locks of Love: The Kindest Cut -- an HBO Special?

[adiapalic]

After seeing a preview just now for a documentary special called, Locks of Love: The Kindest Cut (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1492964/), I couldn't resist seeing what you all might have to say.

A while back I made a thread asking what people thought about others asking (and sometimes telling) you to donate to Locks of Love, and I was very surprised to find out some of the disparaging facts about the organization.

I think that in light of all that, the show will still pretty much glorify what good that the organization has done, and let that be that. I am curious to see if the show will intentionally correct the misconception that people undergoing chemotherapy receive wigs from the organization.

[embee]

Sigh. Just in time for all the little girls - now back in school - to get their long hair chopped "for Locks of Love". The organization must have the best advertising group in the world, and plenty of money to spend on such a thing as "a special". Gee whiz. :(

[star13]

I think it's a good thing to make wigs for people who have no hair. Hair grows back for those who cut it. However, I've heard this organization doesn't do what they claim they are.

[florenonite]

From kindergartners to bikers and girl scouts to prisoners, thousands each year donate their ponytails to create hairpieces for children who have lost their own from disease and chemotherapy.

(bolding mine)

This is from the IMDB Synopsis. I recall reading on the LoL website years ago that they do not give wigs to children suffering from chemotherapy-related hair loss, because they give them to children with permanent hair loss. Interestingly, I can't seem to find that quotation now, but I found this one:


Cancer constitutes the second highest percentage of our recipients. Every year approximately 2,200 children under age 20 are diagnosed with brain tumors. Radiation treatment to the brain stem as a treatment for cancer can cause permanent hair loss. Chemotherapy may also cause hair loss to be long-term depending on the length of treatment needed.

Their mission statement says that they provide the wigs to children with long-term hair loss, so from this one can infer that they do, in fact, provide wigs for children who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy. They also apparently now provide wigs to children with cancer, when in the past it was mostly alopecia.

They also say this about short-term, chemotherapy-related hair loss:


In cases where children are experiencing short term hair loss, usually due to chemotherapy treatments, they require a more immediate answer to their needs. These recipients would receive a synthetic hairpiece in lieu of a prosthesis. These synthetic hairpieces are made especially for children and can be provided quickly and worn during re-growth. The production time of a prosthesis is prohibitive in meeting these immediate needs, and also cannot be worn effectively once hair begins to re-grow.

It appears, then, that this is why they don't give wigs to children with short-term hair loss.

Based on other information on their website, it looks like they've reformed somewhat recently with regards to what they do with donations, etc. Of course, this is what they say rather than others, so it must be taken with a grain of salt, but they seem more reputable than they did in the past.

[JamieLeigh]

Maybe they're trying to get it right finally. But I'd still rather just donate money to cancer research, and help put a stop to the thing that is causing these kids to lose their hair in the first place. I think I'd appreciate NOT having cancer, more than I'd appreciate someone else's hair on my head. Even as a grown-up, the thought of having another person's hair kind of wigs me out a little (pun intended, I suppose!) .....but then again, I was never super-concerned about my appearance when I was a kid. I was busy playing. :p

[heidi w.]

Over the years, I have definitely noticed that LoL seems to be tweaking their mission statement based on public discourse, most recently the New York Times Style Section back in Sept 2007. There was a big brouhaha over the statistic stated in the article about how much hair is tossed. This author's notes were carefully scrutinized, and it was factually proven that the quote given was actually higher, and somewhat broader than what appeared in print.

Me and a few others have been following LoL for over a good decade now. I have nothing against people donating. I just prefer that the public is truly informed about the volume of hair that is thrown away, the volume of hair that's sold and to where, and the further story of how the wigs are made and where. I also would like people to be aware of how many ponytail donations are made each week compared to the volume of wigs and pieces being provided over the years.

I believe in informed consent.


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/fashion/06locks.html

Hits that show the discourse created by this article.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&fkt=1250&fsdt=7797&q=New+York+Times+Locks+of+Love&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g8g-m2

heidi w.

[Shermie Girl]

Even if they have changed their mission statement a tiny bit, the fact remains that LoL allows the misinformation train to roll on and on and on. And they are benefiting from it.

They don't go to much trouble to stress that the majority of the hair they receive is unusable for their purposes and is either sold or thrown away. They don't shout from the rooftops that the few wigs they do provide are sold, not given to the children. And that most of those wigs are for children with alopecia, not cancer! They don't do anything to dispel the myth that all kids with cancer will receive beautiful human hair wigs, thanks to the loving and generous donations from the misinformed, well meaning public.

Their hair drives in schools makes me ill. Children should never be pressured to chop off their hair and be told by teachers and other students that they are selfish and uncaring if they choose not to.

[Darkhorse1]

Go to the better business bueruea website. It lists what they claim and what they actually do:

Fact: hair must be PURE. Any hair that is colored, sun bleached, dyed, hennaed, gray will be sold for money towards the foundation (hmmm, not donated to cancer research?)

Fact: Hair made into wigs is given to kids who QUALIFY to have a free wig. To QUALIFY, hair must NOT grow back. Cancer patients do not qualify as their hair will return after chemo. Kids/people with alopecia are those who get these wigs, and it's not something that is easily done apparently.

I've known many people who have grown their hair and cut it specificially for a family member/taken to a wig shop to be made for THAT specific person. I would be more apt to do that then go through a questionable organization where you don't know where your hair is going.

It's a good concept, but sadly, lost on a hype and advertising campaign

[adiapalic]

Thanks for your responses everyone. That's interesting that they've added chemo patients as recipients--is this a recent reform? I remember last year I read the site and it only mentioned Alopecia.

Big Doh! moment, I didn't read the synopsis on IMDb. It was late at night y'all :whistle:

[Fifty-Five]

I'd have to agree with JamieLeigh on this one. >.> I think it would be much more beneficial to donate money rather than hair. If everyone who donated their hair threw in a $10 bill instead, well, I think cancer might be cured. If everyone who donated their hair sold it instead of letting LoL do it and then gave the money to cancer research? I think it would have been cured ages ago. I'd rather people not feel pressured into any of this, though. It seems like a cheap way for people to feel like they're helping without doing much, though with great emotional costs, especially to those who were pressured or only did it because it's 'for a good cause' and they thought it was going to help a child. It really is a matter of perspective, but the biggest issue is misinformation and the harassment people receive as result. =/

I can't wait to hear someone say 'You should donate your hair' so I can snap back 'You should donate your pay check, wisecrack'

[embee]

I can't wait to hear someone say 'You should donate your hair' so I can snap back 'You should donate your pay check, wisecrack'

Heh. I like that. :) I'll remember it. (maybe .... my rememberer is getting weaker, I fear!)