by Cassandra is a mum who is a special needs educator, a mum to very young kids and someone who has also come on the covers of an International magazine. Her decision to go grey has been appreciated by many and she does look fabulous.
It is not easy to do away with comments on going grey early age or as a young mom but Cassandra has managed to shatter a few myths and brings out that confidence for more women to accept themselves.
Sharing her story with Mums and Stories, Cassandra says, “I was born in India and brought up in a lovely friendly neighborhood of Orlem in the suburbs of Mumbai. Being the only child and losing my father very early on in my childhood, my mum made sure that I was surrounded by family, both maternal and paternal cousins. I have wonderful memories of our large, gregarious, fun family gatherings, where there would be a lot of good natured banter and laughter.”
On her decision to go grey and also being a model, Cassandra says, “I started greying when I was a teenager and was horrified at the time to find a grey hair! My natural response was to cover it up and so I did for many, until I turned 40 and the constant covering up of the roots was starting to weigh me down. I just wanted to be but was not ready to take that step yet, until the pandemic happened in 2020. We as a family were also hit with many hurdles and challenges that I literally had no time to think about my appearance at the time.
‘I remember looking at myself in the mirror and saying – that’s it. It’s all good. I am ready to be me’.
It was a very empowering moment for me to be able to accept and more importantly love what I was seeing in the mirror. And so I went completely grey from that day on and I am delighted with how confident and how empowered it makes me feel every day.
Everyday people, my friends, family kept commenting on how lovely the grey looked on me and I felt inspired and encouraged to click my first portfolio, shot by a good friend who is also a talented photographer, which then led to working with more exceptionally good photographers and eventually with my photos being published in a series of Canadian magazines with me making the cover for one of them and even getting featured in a magazine for International Women’s Day.
I must say that I did receive comments- constructive and unconstructive comments about looking way too old for my age and that I am far too young to go grey.
I chose to respond with an acknowledgment of their concern along with a light hearted but strong sense of belief in my conviction of being grey and sticking to it. Also as a grey model, I am blessed and grateful to have this incredible opportunity to have a job that is in complete alignment with my spirit , my belief and my passion that is unique to me . I absolutely love being a grey model and the freedom it offers me to express myself.
Cassandra shares her opinion on accepting ageing. She says, “ As we approach the 40’s it is important to maintain and follow up with routine health checks, to be aware of any fluctuations in our health that may come up and the resources to take timely steps to correct them, to be able to lead a healthy life.
An investment in your health is the best thing you could ever do for yourself. Aging is inevitable-What is important to focus on is an all-round approach to be able to live a physically, mentally and socially full life.”
“Lastly I do believe we are all unique in our own way and function at our optimum best when we stay true to ourselves.”
Lead Picture of Cassandra Miranda- Amorele Pushkarna
Thank u so much mumsandstories for this nice story ! Being in the mid 40s myself i am finding it hard to accept many changing aspects and greying is just one of those…truly made me feel good !
Grey really suits you Cas, you look gorgeous! Love your story, very inspiring!