“I found a community who believed in a broader definition of femininity”: Victoria Sharp on the haircut that changed her life

Victoria Sharp is the definition of “beautiful both inside and out.” At the time of our conversation, she’s at the height of her career (so far). She has a platform that inspires people with her aesthetics, but also with her vulnerability. She’s created a supportive, kind community that encourages finding ways to feel beautiful even if you feel you don’t fit into today’s beauty standards.

Backtrack two years, Sharp was in a very different place. She was battling with a decision. She'd been offered a role in a short film, but if she accepted, she had to shave her head. Sharp knew it would be a big change. Still, she had no idea it would change her life.

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What shocked her most was the reaction from strangers. “I was not prepared. You don’t expect to get comments thrown at you when you’re walking down the street. Or strangers reaching out to touch your head. The way people said things could make me feel so insecure. Some days, I would come home and just cry.” The first picture she posted of it was a shock too. “I lost so many followers with that first post. My count just plummeted.” I thought ‘god, people really don’t like this’ and just said to myself, ‘okay, I guess I won’t post anything for the next year. I’ll isolate myself.’”

Instead, she made a video about the negative comments she’d been getting. And what she’d been missing in her hometown came back tenfold online. “I was given so much support from women who had gone through the same thing.” Then, a girl came up to her in the street. She was wearing a hat and a hoodie, hiding her hair just like Sharp sometimes would. “She had alopecia and just wanted to talk. 'I think you’re so cool for walking around like that,’ she said. ‘I've been scared to embrace my hair loss, wanting to shave everything off but not daring to. But now I’m going to. If you can do it, so can I.’”

It was then that Sharp realised there were so many women going through what she was. But in positions where they hadn’t had a choice, whose hair loss was the result of alopecia or cancer treatment. And having similar emotions of walking around and feeling different, like they didn’t fit into what others perceived as beautiful or feminine. “I wanted to bond with others going through that. I began to document what daily life was like with no hair, sharing the ways I was expressing myself creatively to feel beautiful and feminine in a new way. To spread positivity and be a kind of support system.”

The response was overwhelming. “I found my people. And then I didn’t care if everyone else unfollowed me. I’d even prefer if those that don’t understand do. I found a community who believed in a broader definition of femininity, and that felt much more right in my heart.” At the same time, she began to filter what she was consuming. Watching films with strong female leads, only following empowering content on social media, turning away from the standards she had unknowingly been adhering to. “It’s easy to feel like an outcast in relation to what you see around you or on social media all the time, that’s why it’s so important to filter out the things that make you compare yourself or feel less than."

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Sharp’s following now boasts 350,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok combined. She didn’t go viral overnight though. “I kept building people up and sharing my story day to day, being vulnerable. It feels like the growth has been an emotional one, and really genuine.” It’s a long way from what Sharp expected these years to look like. “I remember thinking then ‘in two years I’ll be happy, because then I’ll have hair again.’ But instead, I’ve had the best years of my life. I was prepared to be like a bear in hibernation, to put my life on pause. But I’ve learned so much about myself, and been given so many opportunities.” A few weeks ago she was in London with YSL, thinking "I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to be here.”

Still, the best thing for Sharp has been hearing others’ stories. “To get long messages from all around the world. From people who have been struggling, maybe going through chemo and beginning to grow their hair out again, who say they’re feeling more confident and creative, and feeling better about themselves just from following my journey. That’s the biggest milestone, without a doubt. That means more to me than everything else put together.”