After Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaven head, people, including celebrities, spoke out about hair loss experiences.

Pinkett Smith has been open about her struggle with alopecia, which is why the Red Table Talk host sports a bald look.

Alopecia is an autoimmune disease that causes partial or complete hair loss or baldness from areas of the body where it normally grows. There is no cure.

The condition affects Black women disproportionality compared to other races. Traction alopecia affects one-third of Black women.

In 2018, Pinkett Smith opened up about her struggle with alopecia and said during an episode of RTT that it was terrifying when it first started to happen. “It was one of those times in my life where I was literally shaking with fear,” says the actress.

In September 2021, she shared a video of herself with the caption, “Me and this alopecia are going to be friends … period!”

Pinkett Smith isn’t the only celebrity who has struggled with losing her hair.

Actress Viola Davis, best known for her role in “How to Get Away With Murder,” also struggles with alopecia.

She developed bald spots due to stress and said she made the decision to accept who she was instead of feeling uncomfortable in her own skin— after wearing wigs at one point to hide her hair loss.

Supermodel Tyra Banks also opened up about her hair loss in 2021.
The model shared a picture of herself where her hairline seemed to have receded and later shared how she struggled with a bit of alopecia caused by stress. “How can I say this without tearing up? I got a little alopecia from the stress,” she said.

Another supermodel who struggled with hair loss is Naomi Campbell.
In 2010, pictures of her with a visible receding hairline and bald patches surfaced.

She later revealed that the hair loss was traction alopecia caused by years of wearing extensions.

Actresses Christina Milian and Selma Blair have also experienced hair loss after the birth of their children. They both said they would lose clumps of hair which made them very emotional at the time.

Blair also continued to experience hair loss during chemotherapy treatments she underwent to treat her multiple sclerosis.

Alopecia was the most searched word this week, with many not knowing the specifics of the autoimmune disease. Join the conversation on IG @bsm_mag.

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