ritakml

A bald move by an even bolder woman.. is a post written by Lorena

“I am a girl, I live in Lebanon and I got my head shaved!” On April 10, 2010, Rita Kamel shaved her head for the following three reasons:

1- To break chemotherapy taboos.
2- To break the conventional beauty standards.
3- To raise awareness and funds for cancer.

I’d have to say, mission accomplished! I came across an article about her (on Ivy’s blog: Would you date a bald chick?) and was blown-away by her courage and conviction. She’s a true inspiration! Doesn’t she look absolutely gorgeous too?

I’m sure you’re all curious: How did she prepare for such a drastic step? What were the reactions of people around her? What did she discover through this? How could this help other women dealing with chemotherapy? Read Rita’s inspirational story on her blog: Click here.

Also, be sure to read Rita’s friend’s post on the experience with more insight on why Rita did it: Click here.

More about Rita coming soon!

Would you date a bald chick? is a post written by Ivy.

You probably already heard about the lovely Rita Kamel who shaved her head either from her blog or from the many Retweets she got on twitter! It’s the hot topic of the moment which led many of us to ask, why? Yes. Why would a pretty Lebanese girl simply decide to shave her head and go bald just like that. But you see this didn’t just happen out out of the blue, Rita planned it out to the very last detail, like one would do for a trip, getting her family on board, her boyfriend ( who happens to be bald too!) and even her co-workers. Rita even got a wig custom-made to wear to work.

Luckily for us Rita eloquently walks us through the many reasons she went through with it. Here is what she had to say when it was over:

“To tell you the truth, I didn’t care what people would say nor how they would look at me. I was out just being myself. All I can say is that I have never felt more comfortable and confident in my entire life. I  have never felt sexier or more attractive. Courage? Guts? “Balls”? I really don’t know. My heart did not race during the shave and I was smiling all the time.”

Her  friend also gives us an insight of the different feelings she experienced in “ A Bold Move.“  Here are some of the reasons why Rita went through with it explains Mireille:

1. Breaking the chemotherapy taboo
2. Breaking the conventional beauty standard
3. Raise awareness and funds for cancer

Rita’s move really got me thinking, she went somewhere many of us wouldn’t dare to go. Is it because we associate our hair with being feminine or is it because we live in a society that just wouldn’t understand let alone accept a bald by-choice woman. And how genius is it that Rita is doing her part in breaking these barriers.

Most importantly Rita’s boyfriend who  supported her all the way and is seen in the below pic kissing her head ( sigh.) So ask yourselves this: If you had a boyfriend, would he still love you without your long locks? Would he still find you sexy, hot, irresistible?  Better yet, would a guy especially a Lebanese one, date a bald girl? ( Thanks Shanty and Rita)  Bisoux

When I got my head shaved, a lot of people reacted. But the very first person whose reaction was followed by an ACTION was Toni Yammine. He took me to a nice place in Beitchabeb for a photoshoot! I had so much fun!

I thank him for his initiative as he made me love myself even more!
You can view the pictures on Toni’s Flickr page or on my .

I got my head shaved on April 10, 2010. The date has no particular meaning for me. I got my head shaved for several reasons. The most noble ones are those listed my Mireille in the post “A bold move“.

This how I got it done and how it went:

1. Preparing the people I care for the most:
   • This includes my parents, my brother & sister and my very close friends. My boyfriend never had an issue with whatever action I do as long as I was convinced and happy about it. (Salim, I love you!)
   • How I did it? By simply talking about it, discussing it and exposing the reasons behind it. It was important for me to understand that having my head shaved was viewed as extreme and aggressive. So I totally acknowledged all point of views with patience and built upon them. I also involved them in the process. I was frequently taking my mother with me to all the places she thought could be an alternative for shaving. I can tell you that everybody (but my boyfriend) was hoping that I would change my mind.
2. Preparing the workplace:
   • Saying “Tomorrow, I am going to shave” proved to be quite a shocker and thus, I had to comfort my colleagues that I wasn’t there to compromise the corporate image of the company (Oh, I am an employee too! ) by wearing a decent wig.
3. Choosing my new hair:
   • I went to Eve by Karkafi where I met really supportive staff. Although I was familiar with hair extensions, I had no idea about how to deal with a full wig made of natural hair. David, an employee there was patient enough to listen to my story. I explained why, told him I need a short good & natural looking wig that I would wear for work and ended bombarding him with 1000 questions. David listened till the end, explained how he viewed the situation from a professional point of view and ended by proposing several solutions. I picked the one I was most comfortable with and we took it from there. He tried several cuts on me as well as colors until I decided how I wanted my wig to be. The next day, the wig was ready to come home with me…on my head! (Thank you David.)
4. Comforting the family:
   • I gave my family members the time to get used to my look with the wig and had them accepted it.
   • I told them that I was still the same and not to worry about me; besides I was really convinced for the best reasons!
   • And just in case I didn’t like it, hair grows!
5. Calling the hairdresser:
   • Well, for a first time, I preferred to get in contact with the person I felt comfortable. This was (Website coming soon). I asked him if he was OK with it. (Actually, I knew he was. I used to asked him if it would look good on me and he always thought it would.)
6. Calling Mireille!
   • She was the first person who came to mind when I thought of whom I wanted next to me for support. (Thank you Mir for rescheduling your meetings just for me!)
   • Mireille also posted “A bold move” after I expressed my intention for a Fun(d) Raising event.
7. Hair Shaved Day:
   • Picked up Mireille and went to Salon Tony Ibrahim.
   • Got a few grooming things done.
   • Got a make up made by the trusted Caroline Sarkissian (Who was extremely supportive of my cause.)
   • Got my head shaved under the excited eye of Mireille who was taking pictures.
8. The shave:
   • The first second, felt like someone was tearing my hair.
   • I closed my eyes for 3 seconds and took a deep breath, I need to get accustomed to what was happening in the mirror. I admit, the moment was intense.
   • When my head got half shaved, I looked in the mirror and smiled. I felt sexy!
9. Reactions:
   • Here is something I thought would be quite an ordeal to manage: People’s reactions. Well, bizarrely, several women in salon approached me and congratulated me for having my head shaved! One asked me if this was the new trend, another told me that her sister did the same. One said she’d love to do it herself and another asked me if I got married. (Errr, how is this one related? No idea.)
   • I went out to meet my boyfriend and some friends to hang out. Everyone was amazed that I actually did it and felt proud.
   • An employee at a store spoke to me in English thinking I was a tourist!

To tell you the truth, I didn’t care what people would say nor how they would look at me. I was out just being myself. All I can say is that I have never felt more comfortable and confident in my entire life. I  have never felt sexier or more attractive. Courage? Guts? “Balls”? I really don’t know. My heart did not race during the shave and I was smiling all the time.

Today, I wish I had shaved my head long time ago. I can’t believe I passed next to the most amazing experience all this time. I am happy and proud.

I am a girl, I live in Lebanon and I got my head shaved!

Here are the other – not so noble – reasons I want to share as a duty to myself honesty:

1. Practicality:
   • No brushing
   • No spray
   • No gel
   • No accessories to keep the hair away from my face
   • No conditioner
   • No combs
   • No hair dryer
   • No coloring issues
   • No hair care treatments
   • No hair extensions
2. Behavior modification:
   • No shower problems (hot water, timing of the shower)
   • No skullcap needed while swimming
   • No trouble sleeping/going out with wet hair
   • No discomfort driving with the air blowing on my face (It used to blow my hair)
   • No sweaty neck in the summer
   • No weird look after taking off a hat
   • No more bad hair days
   • No more dull hair
   • No more wet hair look at the beach
   • No more oily looks
   • No hair-loss discomfort
3. Appearance:
   • No more “what should I do with my hair” question
   • No hair style issues
   • No more looking at the mirror for more than a minute
   • No more playing with my curls
   • No more hair sticking on my lips

Quick tips if you finally decide to step up and do it:

• Don’t overexpose yourself to the sun immediately after the shave. Do it gradually in order to avoid useless sunburns and have a good looking homogeneous tan.
• When temperature is really low, always cover your head to keep warm.
• Smile a lot!

Fun(d) Raising details coming soon!

A bold move is a post written by mir

Tomorrow I am going to share a strong, unique and first time ever emotional experience with my friend Rita Kamel:

I will go with Rita to her hairdresser. Going to hairdressers for me is a nerve challenging task but this is not what the story is about, the whole story is that she is going to shave her head, shave as in “3al zero” .

Rita is a 26 years old lady and totally healthy. We all know that a lady shaving her head is quite a taboo in our society, here is why my friend is bravely doing so (It is not just a darb habal ):

1 - Breaking the chemotherapy taboo : Each one of us had a relative, a friend or an acquaintance undergo chemotherapy and we all know about how painful and agonizing that process is : imagine not knowing if you will make it alive at the end of the day and thinking that those few painful yet precious moments could be your last among your family, friends and relatives… yet despite all this, our society inflicts another moral stupid unjustified stress on chemotherapy female patients, I am talking about “Oh my god, she is loosing all her hair ! ”
From a whole body crumbling under pain, all they worry and talk about is “loosing the freaking hair”, ano what the hell, hair grows back painlessly and what difference does it make? What pisses me off also, is that people console the girl about the hair after she recovers instead of congratulating her and wishing her health for example !

2 – Breaking the conventional beauty standards : Remember that shamBoo ad where the lady flicks her hair and the guy falls in love with her? Well Rita is making quite a loud and courage feminist statement : Beauty does not lie in ur hair ladies, but more with what resides under it ! That would be what is inside your skull ! Known as brain as well . It is not a statement, it is more like a soul freeing act .
What I know is that I will be looking forward for hanging out with Rita more than I usually do and I am sure Salim – the boyfriend- will enjoy taking out his equally head-shaved lady…this couple will only look damn hotter together.

3 – Raise awareness and funds for cancer : Being in Lebanon and having your head shaved will raise lots of questions, Rita will have the task of answering those “are you sick” questions and explaining her point of view about the 2 points mentioned above and trust me, that task is harder than skinning your head and banging it against concrete walls . We will also hold a Fun(d) Raising event, where we donate different accessories (earrings, bandannas, wigs…) for girls who are sadly suffering from cancer and have to undergo chemotherapy (we will make a full post about that on fund raising soon).

I am buzzing with thoughts and feelings: Will Rita chicken out and back away? Will she regret it? What feedback would she get? If she wants to back off, should I encourage her or just keep aside? Will I have the nerves to take pics and document the event? Would another girl step up and do it ? Would it make a change/difference ?

Well only tomorrow will tell, what I am sure of is that I am damn proud of you Rita and a tiny bit jealous !

For those of you who don’t know Rita , is her twitter name and here are some pictures of Rita and Salim.

(Article apparut dans Science et Vie -  Avril 2010  -  No 1111)

Sans en rajouter plus, je vous laisse avec le fameux sketch de Gad Elmaleh sur la cigarette.

Partie 1:

Partie 2:

It starts with harmless girls’ accessories.

From dinner

to bed.

At work

when presenting yourself to colleagues

or during happy hour.

On vacations

and funerals.

yet!

My dear friends,

I know that many of you are self-employed professionals getting work from big companies but are not registered with the Ministry of Finance yet.
Here is the Income Tax Guide For Self-Employed (Liberal) Professionals in English and the Income Tax Guide For Self-Employed (Liberal) Professionals in Arabic for you to see how it works.

If you decide to register, Congratulations! You can start by filling out Form M10 & Form M11. Submit them to the Ministry of Finance (AM!). They could need two days processing at end of which an official document with a number to include on the invoices you issue will be given.

I hope that this will help you.

Best regards!

14 March was my brother’s birthday. With no idea of what to get him, I went out on a hunt with my boyfriend from mall to mall looking for what could make him happy.

While checking out from the supermarket at Citymall, a bottle of water in my hand and confused in my head, I noticed a client, an American guy, who was in front of me. He said “Thank you young man” out loud to the cashier and took his grocery bags. The cashier smiled back at him.

I looked at my boyfriend with a smile. He said: “Europeans and Americans may not be extremely welcoming, but they are polite. In our area it’s a bit the opposite; we tend to be more welcoming than polite. Already obvious in the way we drive on the roads.”

I don’t know why, but I started to think whether I said “Thank you” enough during the day.

In the evening, empty handed, I went to my brother, gave him a hug and said: “Thank you!”