Sunday, August 12, 2012

Olivia Munn is a Trichster

Olivia Munn (photo by Misha Erwitt for NY Daily News)
I'm a little slow on the uptake here, but a few weeks ago, actress Olivia Munn "came out" as having trichotillomania. She didn't arrange a press conference or anything, but she happened to mention it in an interview with the New York Daily News.

Her exact quote:
“I don’t bite my nails, but I rip out my eyelashes. It doesn’t hurt, but it’s really annoying. Every time I run out of the house, I have to stop and pick up a whole set of fake eyelashes.” 
- Olivia Munn, interview with the NY Daily News
For a couple of days, the story was on all the news websites and celebrity gossip sites. If you Google Olivia Munn right now, 2 weeks after the original article, there are still a couple of sites mentioning it on the first page of search results.

And what was the internet's reaction to this breaking news?

A great big "Meh."

Which I think is a good thing!

Really, no one said "OMG So nasty!" or "Whoever has that disorder should be rounded up and shot!" A lot of people commented on the sites that they, too, have the disorder and were glad a celebrity felt like she could talk openly about something that is normally hidden.

Only one site was even borderline offensive about it, and that was Celebitchy's article Olivia Munn Suffers from Trichotillomania. The worst part was this quote:
"She’s also a plucker. But in the grossest, most neurotic way ever. Olivia has just admitted that she suffers from Trichotillomania – compulsive eyelash-pulling."
Which didn't even bother me that much. Because honestly, what do you expect from a name like "Celebitchy?"

Another good thing about it was that the Huffington Post was inspired by this bit of "news" to write an informational article on trichotillomania: Trichotillomania: What Is The Disorder That Makes Olivia Munn Rip Out Her Eyelashes?

So, like many people with trichotillomania, Olivia Munn probably won't lose many friends or fans over this admission. Personally, I've never lost any friends after admitting to them that I pull out my eyelashes. Hopefully not many of you have, either.

If you liked her before, you probably still like her. If you didn't like her before, then it doesn't really matter, does it?

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Trichster: A Documentary about Trichotillomania

Wow.

It's been far too long since I've posted.

However, I recently found out about a really cool project, and it was the jolt I needed to start up Trich-y Business again.

Because of this blog, I was contacted by Jillian Corsie, a filmmaker in New York about a documentary she is planning to make, all about trichotillomania. Jillian wants to use her talents to spread awareness about trichotillomania.

Trichster, a documentary by Jillian Corsie
The documentary, called Trichster, will be following four trichsters for a year and document their experiences with hair pulling. The purpose of the film is to spread awareness of the disorder. Many people don't even realize hair pulling has a name, let alone that millions suffer from it.

Okay, I just made that number up. I have no idea how many people have trichotillomania. But it sounds cooler if I say millions.

Ultimately, I believe Jillian has the same goal as I do — to share experiences, to create a community, and shed light on an issue that is surrounded with secrecy and shame.

She is in the beginning stages of making the film. You can click here to visit the film's website and learn more about the project. If you want to help, you can spread the word or make a donation to her Kickstarter site, which is a site that makes it easy to donate to community projects. She's hoping to raise $10,000 by August 17 to be able to make the film.

On the Kickstarter page is an intro video that shares more about the project. I'm pretty excited about this idea. And I promise to start updating more often.
 

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