Alopecia Advocate Praises Will Smith For Supporting His Wife Over Chris Rock’s Joke
One of the most contentious Oscars moments was Will Smith hitting Chris Rock, with some believing the ‘King Richard’ star went too far and disrespected the event. Others, though, thought the slap was a reasonable response to Rock’s remark about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head. Now, more women with alopecia are speaking up about how they feel about the situation.
ZaraLena Jackson is one of the few celebrities who has been upfront about her autoimmune disease while still working in the entertainment world.
ZaraLena, who has also shaved her hair bald due to Alopecia, witnessed the live moment when Rock was slapped in the face due to his tongue-in-cheek jokes that irritated Jada.
“Despite differing viewpoints on what happened, the outcome has been amazing for Alopecians like me and appears to have finally made waves around this difficult condition,” she said.
“Finally, the mental effects of alopecia are revealed, putting the “cosmetic” term of this diagnosis to shame,” she added.
“To be clear, I don’t condone violence,” she told SWNS, “but him defending Jada shown strength in my eyes, and it was extremely soothing to witness a man stick by his girlfriend when she had alopecia.”
“I think it’s wrong to make any jokes about someone with alopecia since it’s a disorder that has a significant influence on that person’s mental health and isn’t a laughing issue,” said the woman who went bald in a matter of weeks.
“Being a comedian is pretty tongue-in-cheek, and we all resent it when jokes are directed at us, regardless of the subject, but he should have expected and known better.”
The ‘Ex on the Beach’ actress began her influencer career in 2017, but it wasn’t long before she noticed clumps of hair falling out.
Every clump of hair gone, the model and lingerie brand owner said, was robbing her of her identity, and the process was torturous. And other individuals wouldn’t hesitate to make a snide remark or simply call her that.
“I’ve had strangers say, ‘Hey baldy,’ which doesn’t bother me at all since I am bald,” she explained.
“I’ve had friends and family joke about ‘letting your hair down,’ or ask to borrow a razor or shampoo, which I simply laugh at since I know they don’t mean any harm, and it’s funny to see them panic without thinking about the phrase,” the woman explained.
“I’ve had a few people make the G.I. Jane reference. But I don’t think GI Jane is mad, so I wasn’t insulted. ‘Oh yeah, Zara, you look like a GI Jane babe!’ my mother exclaimed when she saw me in my dressing room without a wig the other day.