There is much hullabaloo about reality star Courtney Stodden, who shaved her head as a "symbolic gesture" to mark a recent miscarriage.
"I’ll never get over this … losing you," she wrote. "I hope you know how much I miss you growing inside of my tummy. I hope that you know I wanted to give you life… a beautiful life - and desired so much to watch you grow into an incredible human being.”
The 21 year-old posted a teary video on Instagram, announcing her decision to "step into this new chapter into my life fresh and new."
Interestingly, shearing hair is traditionally a gesture of grief, so what Stodden did was far from shocking. It actually makes sense on many levels.
What shocked some people was her reaction shortly thereafter, when she posted a pouty selfie in which she's stripped down to a skimpy, leopard-print bikini nursing a glass of bubbles.
For many, the posturing came across as "too Kardashian" to elicit much sympathy.
Is this what grief looks like? Well, yes and no. The short answer: grief looks like whatever the hell you want it to look like.
To be clear, Stodden is not my cup of tea - I had never even heard of her until this morning! - yet I can see past the leopard print to the pain in her eyes.
She just lost a baby. She's broken.
Maybe her way of coping is not your way of coping. It's definitely not mine. But it's her way. Who are we to say it's disingenuous or wrong?
Maybe posing and trying to look beautiful for the camera makes her feel better or at least more like "herself."
If that's the case, more power to her. I hope she and her husband find their own way to heal and move forward. Yes, even if that way involves Instagram and leopard print.
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