Yahoo Finance Jada Pinkett Smith praised for embracing alopecia on socials
Fans of Jada Pinkett Smith have praised the star after she took to social media to open up about her journey with alopecia – an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss – which she was diagnosed with in 2018.
Taking to her Instagram, Smith shared a video of her shaved head with her 10.9 million followers, telling them: "At this point I can only laugh."
"Mama's gonna have to take it down to the scalp so nobody thinks she got brain surgery or something," the 50-year-old wrote in the caption. "Me and this alopecia are going to be friends… period!"
Her newfound acceptance for the condition comes after initially being scared to find her hair falling out. Opening up about her diagnosis three years ago, Smith said on her Red Table Talk series: "I'll tell you it was terrifying when it first started. 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 when I was literally shaking with fear."
But, in yesterday's clip, she candidly spoke about how the condition has impacted her as of late. "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 said while pointing to a bald spot on her head.
The Matrix star 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."
As for how the condition affects her mental health, the actor reminded fans that she looks at the situation from a lighter perspective. "You know mama's going to put some rhinestones in there. I’m going to make me a little crown," she laughed. "That's what mama’s going to do."
Her followers and celebrity friends alike rushed to the comments section to share their appreciation for the candid and honest post – welcoming how she's helped to raise awareness of alopecia. "I appreciate Jada being open about her journey with alopecia," commented one Instagram user, while on Twitter one fan wrote: "I just saw video of Jada talkin bout her alopecia nd i LOVE how she embraces it… I figured out last year that's how to b happy u cant fight wat u dont like make peace with it [sic]."
For help or advice about alopecia, visit Alopecia UK here to find a support group near you.
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