Have you ever had a burning desire to shave your head? Surprisingly, it’s still a radical thing to do. Despite the fact that shaved heads like Angelina Jolie, Halsey, and Keke Palmer are among the famous celebrities who have opted for a buzz cut at some point, it’s still a bit of a taboo. However, I’m proud to be one of those women who are members of the ‘shaved hair club’!

My name is Cricket Guest, I am an artist, model, actress, filmmaker and writer with a passion for activism. There were many reasons why I decided to shave my head. It was largely based on my issues with a lack of representation, especially in the world of beauty pageants.

I started competing in beauty pageants at the age of 14. I started my journey at a local charity beauty pageant in my hometown where all proceeds go to pediatric cancer. One thing led to another until just a few weeks after turning 18, I won the title of “Canada’s Top Model,” which means the chance to represent Canada and compete internationally in 2017. Immediately after being crowned, I thanked the judges and coordinators for the opportunity. Before they even start saying “congratulations,” they start listing things I need to change about myself—including but not limited to comments about body weight and hair.

These comments immediately struck a chord. Fortunately, at this point in my pageant journey, I had the confidence and awareness to realize that their comments were not directed at me as a person, but at me as their new product. However, their comments made me think of the hundreds of young girls that these same people work with, some of whom were just as young as I was when I started. My journey with pageantry and modeling was itself steeped in several unhealthy habits. I became fixated on winning a crown, to my younger self, winning the crown would bring me good luck.