The aftermath. Bachelor Nation alum Amanda Stanton said she was “really affected” after receiving backlash for crossing state lines to get her hair done at a salon in Arizona amid the coronavirus pandemic. The starlet defended her actions but later noted the shade from fans hurt.
“[I] wish I didn’t care so much what other people thought about me or feel the need to defend myself sometimes,” the 30-year-old confessed on her Instagram Story on May 19 while participating in the Truth Challenge. She also noted she’s been “severely anxious” as of late.
However, she didn’t seem to have any regrets. “I feel so much better now that I got my hair done, and Kins had the best day ever at the hair salon,” Amanda added. “She told me, ‘This almost feels like a normal day,’ and it made my heart cry happy tears.”
On May 18, the Southern California resident explained on social media that she drove to Arizona so she and her 8-year-old daughter, Kinsley, could go to the salon. California is still under stay-at-home orders.
“Drove very, very far to get my hair done [and] may have peed on the side of a dirt road because I’m scared to use public restrooms,” she wrote on her Instagram Story to accompany a photo of her new ‘do. “But, it was worth it.”
After being criticized for her actions, Amanda gave details about the precautions she had been taking. “I’ve been very strict with staying home since [March 14]. I haven’t even gone to the grocery store,” she said on her IG Story. “I hadn’t had my hair done since January, and my hairstylist, who I’ve been going to for years, JUST opened her salon. I thought I’d rather when she JUST opened than later when more people had been there.”
The starlet added she and her kids were going to “quarantine again” before seeing family or friends and claimed she had tested negative for COVID-19 before their road trip. “Some might think this is going to great lengths to get my hair done, but honestly, I have nothing else to do and isolating for a couple weeks when I get home was something I was willing to do,” she expressed.
Amanda felt “confident” that she has been making “responsible choices” amid the pandemic and said she felt “proud.”
As far as why she even shared her salon adventure, the reality babe simply felt like she didn’t “have anything to hide.” She said, “I choose to be honest with you guys when I could choose not to be. I’ve seen so many people traveling by plane, hanging out in groups, etc. and doing much worse and not receiving ANY hate.”