Clare Bowen From 'Nashville' Cut Her Hair Off, And Her Reason Is As Beautiful As Her Dramatic New 'Do — PHOTO

In a lovely turn on the well-worn "hey look, a famous person has a new haircut!" story, Nashville star Clare Bowen cut her hair — her famous, previously very long, blonde hair — but there's way more to the story than you'd initially think. This style switch has immediately lit up conversation on social media not just because the actor/singer has long been known for her decidedly not-short hair, but because of her reasons for chopping it off.

Along with a gorgeous, stark photo of her seriously shorter hair, Bowen's Facebook recounted the star's hospital-bound youth, and the lessons she learned from that challenging time in her and her family's lives:

Wanna know why I cut it all off?

When I was four years old, I asked my mother; "Are there heaters in Heaven?"

I had just been diagnosed with end stage nephroblastoma, after several visits to a GP who denied anything was wrong and dubbed my parents "paranoid." 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 hospital was cold. I'd never felt air conditioning before.

Life in the White Palace (Granddad’s nickname for hospital) meant I got to grow up surrounded by children just like me. We were mostly bald, all tubed, taped, bandaged up and stitched back together. We were all missing parts, some obvious like eyes or legs, others more hidden, like lungs and kidneys. Those who still could, tip-toed around like little fairies because chemotherapy had destroyed the muscles in our legs and it hurt to put our heels on the floor. 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.

And then I got really lucky. I survived, my hair grew back and I got strong again. 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. It has always been completely incomprehensible to me. How can people think there's time for that?

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. It's not what makes you beautiful either. It's your insides that count… even if you happen to be missing half of them.

Every scar tells a story, every baldhead, every dark circle, every prosthetic limb, and every reflection in a mirror that you might not recognize anymore. Look deeper than skin, hair, nails, and lips. You are who you are in your bones. That is where you have the potential to shine the brightest from. It is where your true beautiful self lives.

Thank you ABC network and particularly our creator, Callie Khouri for letting me change Scarlett's hair, and my team, family and friends for helping me make the decision. If it makes even one person think twice about judging another, then in some small way, the world is better. Self-esteem takes a lot longer to grow back than hair.

#BeautyWithin

Bowen's post has already garnered hundreds of comments, many of which include photos and stories from cancer patients and survivors. The entire thing is all-around incredibly moving, and it's wonderful to see a statement like this — is is, after all, only hair, but when you're forced to cut it off as a product of dealing with a terrifying illness and grueling treatments, it can feel like a lot more than just hair — coming from someone with a big enough platform to spread the message.

Images: Rick Diamond/Getty Images; Clare Bowen/Facebook