On the night of the 2022 Oscars, which took place on Sunday (27/03), the actor Will Smith surprised everyone by slapping comedian Chris Rock, who was hosting the event at the time. This scene came about as a result of a joke Chris had made when comparing Will's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, to GI Jane, a bald female character played by Demi Moore. Although this episode sparked several discussions about violence and the limits of humor, it is important to note that Jada shaves her hair due to a disease called alopecia, which severely affected her self-esteem. Although, in many cases, it is temporary, the disease can also be permanent, as is the case with the actress.
Understanding Jada's condition, with all its implications, is essential to making the debate more honest. Find out below some important information about alopecia and how it affects, above all, the self-esteem of black women:
What is alopecia and what are its types and causes
Alopecia is an interruption of normal hair growth, causing hair loss anywhere on the body, being most common on the scalp. It is normal for 50 to 100 hairs to fall out every day, however a greater amount than this can already be considered a medical issue. The causes for alopecia are diverse, ranging from stress to autoimmune diseases. Let's see the types of the disease below.
Types of alopecia
Androgenetic alopecia: Genetically in origin, this is the most common type of alopecia. Although it starts in adolescence or early adulthood, it only becomes more prominent between the ages of 40 and 50. It is more common among men, who have a 50% chance of developing the disease, but it also appears in 25% of women.
Alopecia areata: This is an autoimmune disease, that is, a condition in which the body's defense mechanism attacks itself. In the case of alopecia, the body's defense cells attack the hair follicle, preventing it from producing new hair. This disorder is more common in people under age 20, but it can occur in older people. This condition can be associated with genetic factors or stress. It is also common in those who suffer from lupus and vitiligo.
Traction alopecia: Occurs when the individual uses very heavy hairstyles, which require a lot of wires. It may be temporary, but in some cases, depending on the damage done, the condition becomes permanent.
Telogen effluvium: This type is characterized by significant loss - about 300 to 500 hairs per day -, however it is reversible. It would be caused by medical conditions such as stress, thyroid disorders, vitamin deficiency, fever and even covid-19.
Scar alopecia: It is the rarest type, but still present in many patients, and is characterized by inflammation and the growth of scar tissue, preventing the formation of new threads at the site.
It is important to point out that only a doctor can evaluate and diagnose which type of alopecia a patient has and indicate its possible treatments. Self-medication without adequate professional monitoring can not only worsen the condition but also cause other even more serious health problems.
Female alopecia and the self-esteem of black women
According to a study in the International Journal of Dermatology, about 11% of women of African origin are affected by alopecia, compared to 5% of women of other ethnicities. This is due to a genetic predisposition, but also to the intense use of chemicals that are not made with the specific conditions of women of African ancestry in mind.
This problem collides with several delicate issues involving racism and machismo that black women suffer. Any woman, whatever her ethnicity, suffers from aesthetic pressures that define an unattainable ideal of femininity, which involves characteristics such as excessive thinness, long straight hair, large, round eyes, and, of course, white and slightly pink skin. Certainly black women cannot change their skin color and, therefore, are automatically considered less feminine by society. Thus, there is an arduous effort – albeit unconscious and little discussed – by these women to do their best to adapt to other requirements. One of the most important is precisely the hair.
Since childhood, black people are dwarfed by the texture of their hair. Black men, in this case, find the alternative of shaving them, since short hair is well accepted in the male pattern. Women, however, need to keep them long and without volume if they want to be considered minimally feminine. So they get used to putting strong chemicals on their hair, which damage the strands, in order to straighten them. In addition, even women who decide to wear them curly find it difficult to find products that do not weaken their hair, since cosmetics companies rarely base their products on black consumers.
All of this not only allows women to be subjected to toxins that can affect various organs in their body, but also leaves them vulnerable to alopecia, especially permanent alopecia. This profoundly affects their self-esteem, as they find it more difficult to be considered a woman by the people around them. For a black woman, her hair represents her strength and therefore seeing herself without it makes her feel weak, with no space in the world she lives in. This self-esteem problem becomes even more serious as there are very few bald black women in the media, making those who suffer from this condition feel even more alone.
Also, it is important to point out that part of the treatment of alopecia is the prohibition of covering the affected area, that is, women cannot wear wigs or cover their heads in any other way. This generates even more isolation for them, who no longer want to leave the house or be seen by anyone.
Jada Smith and her long battle
Jada Pinkett Smith is an American actress, singer and businesswoman, born on September 18, 1971. She is known for several films, such as “The Matrix: The Matrix Reloaded”, and her voice acting in the animation “Madagascar”.
For a few years now, the actress has suffered from alopecia areata due to an autoimmune disease. His journey of self-acceptance was not an easy one. She spent a lot of time finding it difficult to leave the house and present herself as a public figure, even more so as a woman and black. These days, she reports her condition on her social media and tries to take it lightly, joking that she will put jewelry on her scalp and that will be her crown.
A key point for Jada's self-acceptance was the generous gesture of her daughter, Willow. She would also have shaved her hair in solidarity with her mother, so that she would not feel so alone. So it is possible to see how having black women support other black women – especially when they are from their own family – is essential for rebuilding their self-esteem.
What can I do?
If you also suffer from this condition and find it difficult to accept your new appearance, the first step is not to blame yourself. The importance that our hair has in our society is much more structural and ancient than one can imagine, and it is very difficult to get rid of the need to have “presentable” hair to be considered a woman. However, based on the story of Jada and several other women who are also going through the same problem will probably give you strength that you didn't even know existed.
At this moment, the best way to deal with the situation is, in addition to consulting with a doctor, to turn to spirituality and, above all, to your ancestry and all the feminine strength that helps to form who you are. Connecting with this ancestral energy is a very efficient and powerful way to rediscover your self-esteem and, above all, guarantee the self-esteem of the new generations of black girls.
Confusion at the Oscars 2022
The aggression that Will Smith committed at the 2022 Oscars ceremony against Chris Rock, therefore, was not unwarranted. While there were other ways to resolve the situation, Will knew his wife needed to be defended, as her condition is no joke. Furthermore, toying with this situation is not just specifically offending Jada, but all women who suffer from the same disorder and need to hear the same abuse every day. This Oscar confusion, at least, serves to alert people to the dangers of a poorly thought-out joke and about how black women also need and deserve to be defended from emotional violence, like the one that Jada suffered from Chris Rock.
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Now that you know the necessary information about alopecia and all the social and psychological issues that this condition poses for black women, it is possible to better formulate what happened at the Oscars. And even if you don't agree with Will Smith's reaction, you can understand Jada's feelings and thus act better with the black women around her.
