After the Grammys last month, I posted an entry mocking the celebrities who attended. I posted a number of pictures from the awards ceremony with smart-aleck captions. One of those pictures was of a bald Melissa Etheridge, who I identified as an “elderly man.” I was mocking her based on my assumption (my foolish and contemptible assumption) that she’d shaved her head to make a fashion statement, to draw attention to herself, to come off as a freaky lesbian, and maybe to shock her career back on track. I was wrong.

Boy, was I wrong.

Turns out, Melissa Etheridge’s bald head is the direct result of treatment for cancer. She’s chosen to appear bald in public as a way of supporting other women who are going through the same thing.

I apologize to anyone I might have offended, including Melissa Etheridge herself. Just for the record (he whimpered), I think her first two albums (her self titled debut and Brave and Crazy) are wonderful. I honestly had no idea she had cancer. I was presumptuous, pretentious, and uncharitable. If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my room, hiding under my bed or in my closet, trying to remove my big stupid foot from my big, stupid mouth.

Permalink -- Posted by Darrell at 09:44