The Bald Mermaid: A Memoir

by Sheila Bridges

The inspiring memoir of interior designer Sheila Bridges, The Bald Mermaid comprises engaging and deeply personal vignettes that explore questions of identity, femininity, race, success, and what it really means to have it all. After receiving degrees from two prestigious universities, Bridges became wildly successful in her career as an interior designer, designing homes for high-profile clients and even hosting her own television show. But when she lost her hair due to alopecia, she lost it this is her story of coming to terms with what success and happiness mean to her, realizing the cost of freedom, and understanding what it means to stay true to herself in the face of judgment, criticism, and expectation from family, friends, lovers, and strangers.

Beautifully illustrated with personal photographs and images of Bridges' interior designs, The Bald Mermaid is a delightfully candid, insightful, and often humorous narrative of Bridges' ups and downs, and how she persevered to ultimately find the courage to be herself.

Genres: Memoir

354 pages, Hardcover

First published April 16, 2013

Reviews

[Katinthekitchen]

I have been a fan of Sheila Bridges and her design talents for some time. I recall, many years ago, after coming across articles of Ms Bridges as an up and coming designer, calling her at her Harlem studio and wishing her well. She most likely does not remember that conversation but I will, always. I still have my cherished 1996 copy of Martha Stewart Living, where Ms Bridges appears with friends and family entertaining in her beautiful home in Harlem. When I first read of her diagnosis of alopecia and her decision to forego wigs and weaves, I applauded her bravery. Even without that gorgeous head of curly hair she is still a beautiful woman. I cannot wait to read her story. Still wishing Sheila Bridges the best of everything!

[Tricia]

I was very disappointed in this book. It was all about the author's life and a few chapters on her hair loss. I personally wasn't invested in reading her entire life history and skipped a few chapters. There was an entire chapter about ex boyfriends. I didn't get it. Maybe I was expecting too much, wanting a focus on the alopecia and not the rest. I know the past, present and future all have a play in coming to terms with alopecia but I wasn't feeling it.

[Mirabai]

Some parts of this memoir by talented interior designer Sheila Bridges were compelling, while other parts were tedious. Her young life and her later affliction with alopecia were interesting. I appreciated her cantankerousness, in that she was giving her real self, not some overly edited version. She doesn't have it all figured out, and still struggles with how she is perceived by the world. There was the sense that as we all are, she recognizes herself as a work in progress. Though that didn't make the chapter in which she complains about her married friends lifestyles, and defensiveness about her single status less eye-rolling.
Loved, loved, loved the design of the book and appreciated the wonderful photos, both personal, and of her design work.

[Denise]

This is the memoir of a very popular and successful, black interior designer. She had her own TV show and her work was featured in the best shelter magazines. I always find it interesting to learn how successful people got where they are. I wish the book explored more of how Ms. Bridges built her business. The book is really about the transformation she goes through when she loses her hair due to alopecia. Her career is built on image and living in Manhattan and being expected to date the most desirable men and attend every red carpet event becomes an issue when you're bald. But she is resilient and very likable. She spends some time discussing female friends who "have it all". Husband, children, nice house in the suburbs. Well, I think she has it all. Life on her own terms.

[Amy]

Beautiful book...beautiful lady. I felt it got to be a little too long in some parts but I could just sort-of scan through those parts if I was not completely engaged.

Let me say, this a beautifully designed, written and printed book. There is a different use of type, photography, background color, paper and layout than usually used in books. Very refreshing.

I have to admit that the pages with white type on an orange background was very hard to read and at first I didn't read it. But I am so glad that I did: great story within a story (I don't know she ever got into that tank!)

She brings up so many issues on beauty. Seems that something as "benign" as losing your hair should not be such a big deal. But I tried to put myself in that position and realized how much hair means to us in this society...how much it means to me. It really is a moniker for beauty in women. Hey, even as we age...s'all good if you have a beautiful mane!

One thing I was a little uncomfortable with was the comparison of bald being worse than acne...acne really can't always be fixed. She chose to not wear a wig. Some people have maladies that are not so easily styled out of your life. It was really a small part of the book but sometimes these "veins" of thought stood out to me. But, hey, it is her story so I can't begrudge her that.

This is a unique and lovely memoir and I highly recommend it!! Sheila Bridges is a strong admirable woman.

[Susanna]

I wish this book had been written as more of a true memoir, instead of verging into celebrity autobiography. The sections where Bridges writes about her alopecia diagnosis and the challenges of living with the changing state of her hair were great, and rang very true based on what I've heard from a friend who has the same condition. But the whole first half of the book goes into tremendous detail about every aspect of her life, how successful she is, how she's busier than anyone, her relationships with many ex-boyfriends, etc., and then the end goes into how unattractive her neighbors are compared to the beautiful people of Manhattan. I understand the purpose of the material she includes, but the book really could have used a stronger editor.

The book includes many photos, which are probably of much greater interest if you pick it up as a fan of her design work rather than because of the story. Sometimes they are placed bizarrely, as in p. 250, where, right in the middle of reading about a therapy session where Bridges finally gets to the heart of her feelings of self-worth within her family--and it's interrupted by FIVE two-page spreads of interior design work before you get to finish the story.

[Red]

The first half of The Bald Mermaid is entertaining, but the second half is longwinded, redundant and full of irrelevant details. Ex. Her neighbors in Upstate New York are obese and have tattoos. She spends a lot of time complaining and being too specific about subjects that no one cares about. Ex. The animals she caught in traps on her property. I also don't care about all of the designer names she drops. I did not know Sheila Bridges nor was I aware that the book was about Alopecia prior to reading it.

It was interesting that she decided to embrace her baldness, but I think the book would have been stronger if it had been shorter. What I liked most about the book had nothing to do with her actual memoir. I found the layout refreshing and I think the personal pictures and media were great!

[Sue Rosenbaum]

This tongue and cheek autobiography is just a delight to read! Sheila is very real and very honest in every way. Her descriptions are spot on and vivid to the time she is taking us back to. Her stories and struggles are written so realistically and make you feel like you are sitting right beside her. Laughing, crying, pissed off and finally peaceful and calm.
I highly recommend this title!