Rep. Ayanna Pressley's video revealing her hair loss has inspired other women to share their stories of living with alopecia. 'I see this story a lot, but it’s hidden,' says dermatologist Dr. Crystal Aguh. That's why she found the video so 'powerful.'
This image from video released courtesy of The Root and G/O Media shows Rep. Ayanna Pressley in a video posted Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020, announcing that she has gone bald due to alopecia.
“We are often told our femininity lies in our hair. Our attractiveness is linked to it,” said Alba Anthony, a woman from New York City who wrote about her own alopecia on“My dermatologist spoke to me with hushed tones as if someone died. [The video] reduces the shame of it," she wrote."It’s something that I haven’t spoken about out of fear of ridicule.”“I recognize the bravery it takes for her to say these things,” she said. “It makes me feel like I have to as well.
Hair is very important to a lot of women. It’s a reflection of who they are, and when they lose it, women have to reconstruct their view of themselves. We’re not seeing Congresswoman Pressley after she’s figured out who she is in this new stage of life. We’re watching her as she’s going through the process. That makes it even more powerful.
People see black women with a certain hairstyle and may attribute certain stereotypes based on that. Some people may not feel comfortable coming to work with their hair in a natural curly state. Similarly, some women don’t feel comfortable straightening their hair because some people view that as catering to European ideals. As a black woman, when you’re picking a hairstyle, you have to be aware of what message that sends. It’s really not just a hairstyle anymore.
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