The apprehension mixes with excitement as she separates her hair into sections; one for each charity sponsor. The room is full of the people who donated, each of them walking up, grabbing a pair of scissors and triumphantly cutting off a clump.

Her boyfriend hasn’t shown up.

She watches strands of hair grown carefully over years float ethereally past her shoulders, forming a halo around her as they settle. The razor travels across her scalp in a sharp, clean finish.

But amid the pride of her accomplishment, one thought surfaces above all others.

“If I break up with my partner, what man is going to want to date me?”

This thought made Karri Johnston realise just how much she had been centring men in her life. She knew something needed to change.

And she’s far from the only woman questioning the role men play in her life.