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The caption is inspiring...but the comments are infuriating.

 

 

 

 

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well this feels wild 💇🏼‍♀️ new role called for a bit of a new look. change is scary, but I’m embracing it :)

A post shared by Sophie Reynolds (@sophie1reynolds) on Sep 30, 2018 at 5:17pm PDT

Last night, actress Sophie Reynolds casually dropped a major bombshell on the world when she shared a photo of her freshly shaved head on Instagram.

Just one day after posting a studio portrait that showcased her long blond locks (her caption even mentioned the faux wind used to create the blowy effect), Sophie shocked her fans with a completely unexpected (and stunning) new style.

"Well this feels wild," Sophie wrote in her caption. "New role called for a bit of a new look. Change is scary, but I'm embracing it."

Yes, change is scary — but in this case it's also inspiring. Shaving your head takes guts, especially when you're in a profession that largely equates success with conventional beauty standards for women.

The Disney star, who appeared in Disney Channel's A Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything (alongside Cameron Boyce) and the YouTube Red series Youth & Consequences, is taking on the new role of an angsty teen rebel in the upcoming Bad Boys spinoff, L.A.'s Finest, starring Jessica Alba and Gabrielle Union — so it's likely the shave was made for this role, although we haven't confirmed that yet.

But, because the internet is the internet, the reaction was mixed.

The comments on Sophie's new chop were mostly positive ones — a near perfect example of women supporting other women, which came rolling in from both fans and fellow stars (like Haley Tju, Larsen Thompson, Brec Bassinger and Chandler McKinney).

Unfortunately, the outlier comments all lamented over the same thing: 

"You were so pretty before, why would you do that to yourself?" wrote one commenter.

"Nooooooo whyyy did u do that," asked another.

I'm sorry — but are these people really implying that women can't be attractive without long hair? Are they questioning her choice to transform her look for a role? Wait...what? Is this really still a thing?

I think we should all take a note from Sophie and be as shockingly unique as we want to be. We are more than our appearence, more than our body and more than what anybody has to say about our choice to take control over our own look.

I've always been a fan of seeing people go against stereotypical beauty standards, and cutting our hair is one of the easiest rebellions that girls can make when we want a change in our appearence. It's freeing — and let's face it, a lot easier to manage than a full head of hair. (Think about *all* you can do with 15 more minutes every morning!)

Sophie, if you're reading this, thanks for breaking outdated norms. Thanks for inspiring this conversation about what it means to be beautiful — because there are so many beautiful things about you (and every girl) besides the length of your locks. Your confidence, for one. Your talent. The example you're setting, through your hair, for girls everywhere.

Thanks for being bold and owning it.

And thanks for being part of bringing back those cool, classic Bad Boys vibes — but this time with a crew of incredible women as the leads.

Can't wait to see you — and your amazing shaved head — onscreen in 2019.

by Audrey Bartholomew | 10/2/2018