The Wrapunzelution has the power to change lives and nothing warms our hearts more than hearing about this process first hand, from the women positively affected by our message to “Inspire Happiness”. This movement brings together a diverse group of women from all over the globe and many have truly incredible stories to share! Meet Atalanta- Wrapunzelista and blogger, who’s life has truly been impacted by wearing tichels. She recently shared this incredibly inspiring post from her blog with us and we just HAD to share it with you all!
“This is what I wore today.
I’ve been extremely reclusive for the past few years, but last year it got a lot worse. A bout with severe anemia had me feeling too sick and weak to leave the house, which reinforced my agoraphobia. From late spring of 2015 to late November 2015, I did not venture further than my mailbox. From November 2015 until today, I did not go out for more than a hurried visit to the convenience store.
In addition to weakness, fatigue, and severe anxiety, my hair (always fine and wispy) thinned to the point where my scalp was clearly visible. I’ve always had a lot of identity issues with my hair. As a child I had frequent struggles with my mother over being allowed to grow it long. As a teenager, an abusive boyfriend threatened to shave my head if I dyed my hair a color he didn’t like.
In early November 2015, I decided to start wearing a headcovering. While not observant, I am Jewish, so I went in search of tichel resources. I found Wrapunzel, a blog/community online store. A friend suggested I check out their tutorial videos. Many of them seemed impossibly complex, but I kept trying, and experimenting on my own. I bought scarves from Wrapunzel, eBay, and Amazon, and friends sent me some as gifts. I took awkward selfies with my phone and posted them, here on Tumblr and then on my Instagram as well.
I started building a collection of scarves, and slowly gained skill using them. My selfies got likes and compliments, first from friends, and then from strangers as well. I even had a couple of friends tell me I looked confident!
Well, I didn’t feel very confident in general, but I was developing confidence in my tichel-tying skills! The tutorials that baffled me at first became easier to understand. I gained a little familiarity with some of the techniques, and kept trying more. For May, Wrapunzel posted a challenge to try a different style for every day.and I decided giving it a shot. Not all the styles would work on me (many of them really need a volumizer and I don’t have one, at least, not yet – not only are they a little pricy, but since my hair’s always been pretty scanty, a look with a lot of volume just wouldn’t seem like me, and identity is a big issue!), but I’ve been giving each one a try, and gaining a little skill with styles I hadn’t tried before.
I skipped ahead this morning to practice tomorrow’s style, The Gigi Knot. I’d experimented with it before, but never really been satistfied with the results. This time I tried it with one of my favorite scarves from Wrapunzel, The Duchess, and one of the lovely scarves I got as a gift from @thestarstone. I really liked how it turned out.
I mean, really liked it. I didn’t want to waste this gorgeous tichel on just sitting home with my cats.
This morning, I went out to a nearby restaurant for breakfast. I ate from a plate, sitting at a table, not from a delivery container sitting cross-legged on my bed. A polite and pleasant waitress brought me coffee, took my order, checked to see if my food was ok. As I ate, I could hear snippets of other diner’s conversations. When I paid for my meal, the waitress thanked me for coming.
Simple, everyday things, that I hadn’t experienced all year. Because I wanted to take that nice tichel out into the world, even if I had to go with it.”
The Wrapunzel Blog 
This is really inspiring. I too struggle with isolation and intense anxiety and shame around my appearance. I am working on creating a strong new identity for myself. It’s amazing how simple things can make such a significant and beautiful difference in our lives. Thank you for sharing your story.
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Dear Ms. Atlanta Wrapunzelista,
A beautifully written story of your journey out into the world! A powerful healing taking place in your life. And you are beautiful!!! And you have a beautiful soul! You are now a part of a wonderful, loving, kind, humble group of women who are always there for one another. Your strength is amazing! Continue on your path to complete wholeness, knowing you have a fabulous strong support system.
Blessings Always,
~ julie ~
P.S. Love your wrap too!!
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hooray for you atlanta!! you overcame the hardship, and took a huge step!! may you continue in this way with g-ds help! the tichel compliments your features and looks so natural! continue on to good health!
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Praying for you! …to experience more and more freedom and to know that the joy of the Lord is your strength! Nehemiah 8:10 xoxo
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Atalanta, it is so wonderful that you have reentered the world. Your tichel is lovely and that gold adds just the right touch. As they say in 12 step programs, one step at a time and one day at a time. In your case, maybe it’s one tichel style at a time. So, glad you shared your story. You are definitely an inspiration to many of us. I tend to stick with many of the same simple wraps. Kudos for having the courage to try so many different styles. And, you are right. The idea is to be who we are and bring out the best in ourselves.
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Wow, what a beautiful story.
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I am also chronically ill, and I understand the struggle to leave the house. Grabbing a couple of brightly colored scarves really gives me a boost, too. Hooray for you, for pushing your boundaries and making such a huge first step into the world! I hope this leads to many other wonderful experiences for you.
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Thank you for making me smile on a day when my depression was winning the battle. I have also found scarf tying has helped my mental health – adding colour and style to my day. And once I’ve got a lovely wrap, I have to take the bother to dress to complement it! So glad you took your tichel for coffee – I’m thinking of a series of tichel adventures now!
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Mazal tov, Atalanta. That is such a beautiful story. And Breakfast is the best meal to eat out anyway, which makes it a perfect meal for a glorious tichel.
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Atalanta, thank you for your courage in sharing your story and for these beautiful choices you are making. Who knows what creative ways you will be able to help others shine their own lights? You clearly already have here 🙂 I hope you find beauty in life this year and are able to see it in yourself.
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Thank you Atlanta for sharing your story! Your headscarf is beautiful! It compliments your natural beauty very well! Great job!
I too have health conditions that require me to cover my head. Wrapunzel is by far my favorite blog I’ve found so far! I am neither Christian nor Muslim,but greatly appreciate this blog! I find it ironic that my headscarf worn for health and vanity issues is more accepted by society than those that wear it to honor G-d. Keep up the tradition ladies!
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Atalanta, thank you for sharing your wonderful story! Reading about your courage made me feel more courageous to be myself.
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dear atalanta, your story is beautiful, and i understand your words so much! wearing a tichel helped me “face the world” and soothed my soul’s struggles in many ways. i wish you all the best!
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Thank you for sharing! I want to wear a headcover too, but like you the tutorials seem so complicated that I wondered if I could get the same results. Then I read your comment and saw how beautiful the headcovering looked on you, and I thought maybe I could do it afterall! I am also glad to hear how the headcovering is helping you to develop confidence.
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Wow, and am I so glad that you took that tichel out today and that you told us about it! 🙂 You looked gorgeous! Go show your tichels to the world – you rock! Maybe I should take my tichels out more often too! Thank you for sharing!! 🙂
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