Jada Pinkett Smith has been open about her journey with alopecia over the years and continues to inspire many with her openness and honesty.
Hair loss is hard for many people to face, and understandably so. Watching yourself change and coming to terms with a condition can be a knock on your confidence and mental health that is hard to come back from.
And it doesn’t help when that very thing you’re suffering from is out there for the world to see and comment on.
This is something that has happened to Jada Pinkett Smith, who has been open about her struggles with alopecia over the years.
At the 2022 Oscars, presenter and comedian Chris Rock made reference to Pinkett Smith’s hair, saying: “Jada, GI Jane 2, can’t wait to see it.”
The joke referenced the 1997 film starring Demi Moore, who plays a navy lieutenant signing up for reconnaissance, and shaves her head into a close crop.
The joke, which resulted in Will Smith smacking Chris Rock on stage, was a reminder of Pinkett-Smith’s alopecia journey and also women – specifically Black women – who battle hair loss.
To see those in the public eye share their struggles and see how they are learning to get through them can be a source of inspiration for many around the world who suffer from the same thing.
This is something that has been brilliantly illustrated by Pinkett Smith over the years with her openness and honesty about hair loss and the politics surrounding Black women’s hair.
The Red Table Talk host recently touched on this on Instagram in December, where she shared a candid video that showed one of the bare scalp patches that she’s learning to embrace.
“Now at this point, I can only laugh,” Pinkett Smith said as she ran her finger across a bald line patch along the centre of her scalp. “Y’all know I’ve been struggling with alopecia and just all of a sudden one day, look at this line right here. Look at that.”
She continued: “So it just showed up like that and this is going to be a little bit more difficult for me to hide. So I thought I’d just share it so y’all are not asking any questions.”
“But you know mama’s going to put some rhinestones in there. I’m going to make me a little crown. That’s what mama’s going to do,” Pinkett Smith said.
The actor captioned the video: “Mama’s gonna have to take it down to the scalp so nobody thinks she got brain surgery or something. Me and this alopecia are going to be friends … period!”
The clip, which was viewed 1.5 million times, saw many share their thoughts on social media in support of Pinkett Smith.
One tweeted: “It’s cool to see Jada open up about her hair loss struggles and it definitely is inspiring me to walk a little more confidently.”
Another said: “Embracing alopecia is not easy in the slightest and it’s something I constantly battle within myself. But it is nice to see a high profile celebrity open up about it and remind me that I’m not in this alone.”
In 2018, Pinkett Smith also opened up about her “issues with hair loss” during an episode of Red Table Talk, and to see her continue sharing her journey with the world is sure to inspire many.
According to dermatologist Crystal Aguh, who specialises in hair loss, nearly 50% of Black women experience some form of hair loss and Pinkett Smith’s openness with her alopecia journey is sure to inspire and empower many women, particularly Black women, who experience this and often feel alone.
Images: Getty
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