Greek social media influencer Ioanna Touni has shared childhood photographs on TikTok, recalling her family's financial struggles and a DIY haircut she gave herself.
Looking through old family photos while holding one picture in her hands, Touni explained that an image of her with extremely short hair concealed a personal backstory about trying to save her mother money.
Touni described her upbringing as being in an average to poor family, living in very normal conditions or slightly below. When Touni was around 3 years old, her mother relocated from the Aegean island of Rhodes to Thessaloniki in northern Greece. The move allowed her mother, who raised Touni alone without financial assistance from Touni's father, to live near her aunt, Pagona, and receive help with childcare.
Her mother worked as a public sector nurse, providing the sole income for the household. During an era when financial institutions offered mortgages to individuals on modest salaries, Touni's mother pursued a lifelong dream of buying a home. She frequently took young Touni along to inspect various dilapidated properties across the city.
Her mother eventually purchased a 67-square-metre ruined house in Ano Poli, the historic Upper Town area of Thessaloniki, securing a loan scheduled to be paid off over 50 years. Over time, her mother gradually renovated the property where Touni grew up.
Overheard phone call about financial hardship
Touni recalled a period during her early childhood when she spent extensive time with her aunt Pagona while her mother was busy managing the property. During that time, Touni overheard a telephone conversation between her mother and her aunt that revealed the full extent of their financial hardship.
Touni said her mother confessed on the call that she was under intense financial pressure, with expenses repeatedly exceeding her calculations. Her mother also explained that she was struggling to pay rent on their temporary accommodation while facing eviction, and added that she wanted to take Touni to a salon for a haircut but lacked the money to pay a hairdresser.
Hearing her mother describe their severe financial difficulties left young Touni deeply distressed. Feeling upset by her mother's situation, Touni decided she would attempt to help resolve the problem herself.
Attempted haircut and school embarrassment
Touni retrieved a pair of scissors from a drawer where she knew her mother kept them and began cutting her own hair. After looking at the initial result, she remained undeterred and cut her hair even shorter.
Approximately 10 minutes later, while her mother was still talking on the telephone, Touni walked out of her room. Her mother was astonished upon seeing her and asked what she had done. Touni replied that she wanted to help because she had heard her mother state on the phone that she lacked the money for a hairdresser.
Her mother subsequently took her to a professional salon to fix the hair, resulting in a very short bowl cut that made Touni resemble a boy. Touni said she felt so embarrassed about attending school the next day that she wore skirts continuously during that period to avoid being mistaken for a boy, concluding her story about what she described as her moth-eaten hair.
