Several actresses and Hollywood stars, including Jada Pinkett Smith, have publicly discussed the difficulties of living with alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss. The stars agree that it is a "painful" and "frustrating" condition. Jada Pinkett Smith (50) first spoke about her alopecia in 2018 during her show "Red Table Talk," stating that the moment she was informed of her diagnosis "was one of the hardest moments" of her life and adding, "I was trembling with fear."
The disease became a global topic of discussion following the incident where Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars after Rock made a joke about Jada's shaved head, which visibly upset her.
Democratic representative Ayanna Pressley, who revealed her own struggle with alopecia in 2020, tweeted, "Let’s talk about what it means to live with alopecia." She congratulated Will Smith on Sunday evening for slapping Rock but later deleted the tweet. She had written, "I congratulate all husbands who stand up for their wives suffering from alopecia against the ignorance and insults they face daily."
In recent years, many actresses have discussed the impact of hair loss due to stress, postpartum changes, or COVID-19. Actress Ricky Lake shared on Instagram in 2020 with a picture of her shaved head: "I have fought hair loss since I became an adult," adding that it caused her "embarrassment, pain, frustration, and loneliness" and that she had even considered suicide at times.
Similarly, actress Selma Blair told People magazine in 2011 after giving birth, "I have to spend a long time in the shower to collect the strands of hair that fall out so they don’t clog the drain," asking, "Why don’t actresses ever talk about this?"
Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis also revealed her long struggle with alopecia, explaining that she tried to hide her shaved head with wigs. She stated, "I had a wig I would wear at home, another for events, and one I would put on when exercising. I never showed my head; I wanted people to see me as beautiful."
In the same vein, actress Alyssa Milano recently announced that she lost her hair after contracting COVID-19. She said, "It’s difficult, especially because I’m an actress and my identity is heavily linked to appearances, including having long, smooth hair."
The National Alopecia Areata Foundation, based in California, stated in a Monday release that "alopecia is no laughing matter," emphasizing that it is an autoimmune disease that results in hair loss from the scalp, face, and sometimes other parts of the body. It pointed out that this condition affects approximately seven million people in the United States and around 147 million worldwide.
Nicole Friedland, president of the foundation, said, “Patients with alopecia may face significant emotional, psychological, social, and mental impacts. A large number of people experience pain, and the best we can do is support them and combat the stigma and discrimination they still face."
Some were surprised on Monday by Chris Rock's joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head during the Oscars, noting that he was well aware that the subject was sensitive. Rock had previously addressed the complex relationship that Black women have with their hair in a documentary titled "Good Hair," which he co-wrote and narrated. He explained that he was inspired to create the film after one of his daughters asked him why she didn’t have "good hair."
