Louise - caption
Louise Kinross thought she knew about differences. After all, her eldest son, Ben, has a genetic condition, and she works with children with disabilities. Then she lost her hair – including her eyebrows and eyelashes – at age 38 thanks to an autoimmune disorder called alopecia. "Difference can be freeing," she says, "because it forces you to hang up your social 'mask.' I can't walk around projecting an image of having everything together and in control any more, which means I can be more genuine and honest with who I really am. Louise writes regularly about difference and disability as the editor of BLOOM.