Jada Pinkett Smith, Rep. Ayanna Pressley and countless other women suffer from this autoimmune disease which leads to irreversible hair loss. What is alopecia?
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00:00Now y'all know I've been struggling with alopecia.
00:02This is going to be a little bit more difficult for me to hide.
00:06So I thought I'd just share it so y'all not asking any questions.
00:23We know from various studies that hair loss of all types
00:27has a very significant psychological impact on men and women.
00:39Sorry Jojo Siwa and Ariana Grande, not the best hairstyle.
00:44So if you want to hold on to those hairs, maybe change things up if you can.
00:58It was terrifying when it when it first started, you know.
01:03I was in the shower one day and then just handfuls of hair just in my hands
01:08and I was just like, oh my god, am I going bald?
01:20So you know mama's gonna put some rhinestones in there and I'm just gonna make me a little crown.
01:42The most common form of hair loss is purely cosmetic and we call that traction alopecia
01:48and it occurs because of a combination of hairstyles that are too tight as well as
01:54hairstyles that are too tight that are done on hair that has already been chemically weakened
01:59by straightening.
02:08I want to be freed from the secret.
02:12Alopecia errata disproportionately affects children and black Americans and particularly black women.
02:19Some people may say that it's just hair, but for me and for many people living with alopecia,
02:25hair is intrinsically linked to our identity and our cultural expression.
02:30I'm still coming to terms with my new alopecia reality and the impact of my traumatic hair loss.
02:36Every day, thanks to the support of my family, my staff and the broader alopecia community and
02:41others who have experienced hair loss, I am making progress. I am making progress despite
02:48the hateful comments, the cruel and constant online harassment about my baldness, the intrusive
02:54and ignorant questions on the elevators and the unsolicited advice and stares, lots of stares.
03:02No doubt about it, a bald woman entering a room,
03:06entering the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives makes people uncomfortable.
03:18I mainly want to raise awareness for alopecia because not a lot of people know about it
03:23and I also just want people to learn that it's okay to be different.
03:32you