Jada Pinkett Smith’s Alopecia is Not A Joke
During the 2022 Oscar Awards, Chris Rock went too far as he joked about Jada Pinkett Smith being the next “G.I. Jane” because her head is shaved bald. Shortly after, Will Smith took the stage and assaulted Chris Rock telling him to “keep my wife’s name out of your mouth.”
Jada Pinkett Smith has been vocal about her experience with alopecia and its effect on her emotionally. In 2018, on her Facebook series “Red Table Talk,” she described her experience as terrifying stating,
“I was in the shower one day, and then just handfuls of hair — just in my hands — and I was like, ‘Oh my God, am I going bald?’ It was one of those times in my life where I was literally shaking with fear. That’s a really scary experience.”
What is Alopecia?
Alopecia areata is a disease that develops when the body attacks its hair follicles, which can cause hair loss anywhere on the body. There are multiple different types of Alopecia, some of which cause partial hair loss while the other causes baldness.
Jada expresses how her hair is a part of her as she says in Red Table Talk, “Taking care of my hair has been a beautiful ritual and having the choice to have hair or not. And then one day to be like, ‘Oh my god, I might not have that choice anymore.’"
Last year, Jada shaved her head to wear her crown and condition boldly and beautifully.
Jada is beautiful, alopecia is real, and it is not a joke. Alopecia to society is “just hair loss,” but for women and black women especially, our hair is a part of our identity and how we express ourselves. Having short or long hair should be a choice, and when it is not, it is a life-altering condition that affects more than just one’s physical health.
We recommend everyone be kind to all people. As we celebrate the CROWN Act recently being passed to ensure protection against hair discrimination. We must remember and stand with those who have alopecia, supporting their beauty and realizing that their hair is NOT a joke.
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