What is alopecia?

Brut India

Jada Pinkett Smith, Rep. Ayanna Pressley and countless other women suffer from this autoimmune disease which leads to irreversible hair loss. What is alopecia?

Transcript

00:00And y'all know I've been struggling with alopecia.

00:03And this is gonna be a little bit more difficult for me to hide.

00:07So I thought I'd just share it so y'all not asking any questions.

00:31Sorry Jojo Siwa and Ariana Grande.

00:34Not the best hairstyle, so if you want to hold on to those hairs,

00:38maybe change things up if you can.

01:00So you know mama's gonna put some rhinestones in there.

01:08And I'm just gonna make me a little crown.

01:23The most common form of hair loss is purely cosmetic.

01:26And we call that traction alopecia.

01:28And it occurs because of a combination of hairstyles that are too tight,

01:34as well as hairstyles that are too tight that are done on hair

01:37that has already been chemically weakened by straightening.

01:49Alopecia errata disproportionately affects children and black Americans,

01:53and particularly black women.

01:56Some people may say that it's just hair.

01:59But for me and for many people living with alopecia,

02:02hair is intrinsically linked to our identity and our cultural expression.

02:07I'm still coming to terms with my new alopecia reality,

02:10and the impact of my traumatic hair loss.

02:13Every day, thanks to the support of my family, my staff,

02:17and the broader alopecia community and others who have experienced hair loss,

02:20I am making progress.

02:23I am making progress despite the hateful comments,

02:27the cruel and constant online harassment about my baldness,

02:30the intrusive and ignorant questions on the elevators,

02:34and the unsolicited advice, and stares.

02:37Lots of stares.

02:39No doubt about it, a bald woman entering a room,

02:42entering the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives,

02:45makes people uncomfortable.

02:54I mainly want to raise awareness for alopecia,

02:58because not a lot of people know about it.

03:00And I also just want people to learn that it's okay to be different.

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