It may be "just hair," but Clare Bowen's new cut is saying so much more.
The "Nashville" star took to social media on Wednesday to explain the powerful reason she chopped off her signature golden mane.
Captioning a striking photo of her fresh pixie 'do, the native Aussie penned a Facebook essay in which she told fans the story of her childhood cancer battle.
After being diagnosed with end stage nephroblastoma at just 4 years old, Clare said her initial prognosis was grim.
"I'd overheard the doctors telling my family that the only hope of saving me was an experimental treatment that might kill me anyway. But without it I had maybe two weeks left," the actress shared.
Clare went on to recall memories of her hospital stays with other young patients, and how they bonded over their mutual struggle.
"We were mostly bald, all tubed, taped, bandaged up and stitched back together," she wrote of her friends, adding, "But we were all together, so no one's appearance came into question. No one got laughed at or teased. We were all we knew."
Although she eventually overcame the disease, Clare said the experience has stayed with her as she observes society's obsession with physical appearance.
"I look relatively normal on the outside, but on the inside, I am still the same stitched back together little creature, in a world where people are judged so harshly for the way they look," she continued. "It has always been completely incomprehensible to me. How can people think there's time for that?"
Now, decades later, Clare said the recent story of another child enduring similar health issues gave her the push to make a statement.
"I was really inspired when I heard a story about a little girl who said she couldn't be a princess because she didn't have long hair, and I wanted her, and others like her, to know that's not what makes a princess, or a warrior, or a superhero," she said. "It's not what makes you beautiful either. It's your insides that count… even if you happen to be missing half of them."
Clare urged readers to "look deeper than skin, hair nails and lips" to find their truest selves.
"You are who you are in your bones. That is where you have the potential to shine the brightest from," she said.
Clare signed off by thanking her loved ones for supporting her decision, as well as "Nashville" creator Callie Khouri for authorizing the new look. The actress will apparently maintain her shorn locks in character as country chanteuse Scarlett O'Connor on the hit ABC series.
Ultimately, Clare said she just hopes her message is clear.
"Self-esteem takes a lot longer to grow back than hair," she wrote.
