Jada Pinkett Smith posts update on her alopecia

The Matrix Resurrections star posted a video on Instagram pointing out a growing bald spot in good humour to bring fans up to date with her hair loss journey.

Jada Pinkett Smith married to actor Will Smith and an actress herself is gaining positive traction on social media from her latest post on Instagram that shows her pointing at a bald line at the top of her head as she laughs into the camera. In the video, Jada says

“Now at this point, I can only laugh. Y’all know I’ve been struggling with alopecia and just all of a sudden one day, look at this line right here. But you know mama’s going to put some rhinestones in there and I’m just going to make me a little crown. That’s what mama’s going to do.”

https://www.instagram.com/jadapinkettsmith/?hl=en

Commentors are praising her for her openness at addressing the new change to her appearance with many stating that she is still as loved and as beautiful as always.

This update follows Pinkett Smith on her relationship with alopecia since her first public mention of it back in 2018. In her Facebook series Red Table Talk she addresses the speculation behind the turbans she began wearing.

“I’ve been having issues with hair loss. And 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?’ “. She goes on to say that having been diagnosed, her doctors were unable to determine the cause, saying that the thinning was likely due to high levels of stress. Singer Jesy Nelson of the pop power group Little Mix also had a similar experience when she was younger as a result of bullying.

Other actors who were affected by alopecia include Kiera Knightley. During a period of five years, one of Hollywood’s dream girls was wearing wigs to disguise the fact that she was losing strands of hair. She confided in InStyle UK in 2016 that life of an actress can be particularly demanding on physical health as she needed to constantly dye her hair.

“It got so bad that my hair literally began to fall out of my head! So, for the past five years I’ve used wigs, which is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to my hair”

https://www.thecut.com/2016/09/keira-knightley-is-surprised-about-internet-balding-rumors.htmlcia

According to the National Alopecia Aereata Foundation, 147 million people worldwide have or will develop alopecia areata at some point in their lives. Alopecia has many different forms and the extent between each person can be varied.

To distinguish between the main types, alopecia areata is the occurrence of isolated patchy hair loss on the scalp or other places on the body that grow hair. Not to be confused with persistent patchy alopecia which is what Jada Pinkett Smith can be said to have as it more of a long-term diagnosis that has not developed into alopecia totalis (the loss of hair across the entire scalp). The final main type of alopecia is alopecia universalis which is hair loss affecting the entire body.

Writing in his memoir and as promoted by the Guardian, actor Matt Lucas known for his wacky characters in shows like Dr Who recalls having to grow up with alopecia and how it shaped him.

“It was 1985, a full five years after my hair had fallen out. Five years. I had already done my best to somehow assimilate my baldness into my personality. I had figured out jokey responses to the same old questions if I was in a good mood, and withering retorts if I wasn’t. I had mastered the art of staring back fearlessly at people when I caught them sneaking a look at me. I had figured out, in my own way, how to live with being bald.”

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/oct/08/matt-lucas-losing-my-hair-at-the-age-of-six-shaped-my-life-little-me-my-life-from-a-z

Alopecia is often associated as an embarrassing condition with many attributing hair loss to old age or being unhealthy. While it can be caused by some deficiencies such as vitamin D or iron, there are other external factors that can cause a rapid loss of hair such as physical trauma, thyroid issues, hormones and even childbirth.

By being so open, celebrities such as Jada help to destigmatize alopecia and create a kinder community of people who normalize conditions that affect a person’s physical appearance. It humanizes actors reminding us that these people we put on pedestals may look perfect on screen but are at the end of the day humans with bodies as diverse and as vulnerable as anyone else’s.