Inspiring reason that 'Nashville' star Clare Bowen cut her hair off

Clare Bowen — better known to fans of ABC's "Nashville" as "Scarlett" — has cut her long hair short. If you're the type of person that demands answers for this sort of thing, you're in luck.

The actress and singer has reasons for cutting her hair, and shared them in a widely circulated Facebook post on Wednesday.

Bowen is a childhood cancer survivor, and was diagnosed with nephroblastoma at age 4. She recalled staying in a hospital "surrounded by children just like me."

"We were mostly bald, all tubed, taped, bandaged up and stitched back together...no one's appearance came into question. No one got laughed at or teased. We were all we knew."

Recently, Bowen said she was inspired when she heard "about a little girl who said she couldn't be a princess because she didn't have long hair."

"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."

Bowen made the call to cut her hair, and thanked ABC and "Nashville" creator Callie Khouri for giving her permission, as the decision changes "Scarlett's" look, too.

"If it makes even one person think twice about judging another, then in some small way, the world is better."

Fighting childhood cancer has remained an important cause to Bowen. She lent her support to two local fundraisers last year: The St. Jude Country Music Marathon and the "Rally Rumble" at Rocketown.