Everyone’s talking about the Will Smith-Chris Rock debacle at last night’s 94th Academy Awards ceremony.

In case you missed the millions of replays dominating social media, Will Smith marched onto the Oscar stage following a joke made by Chris Rock about Will Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett-Smith’s shaved head. Smith slapped Rock and then told him twice in no uncertain terms to “keep my wife’s name out of your mouth.” Pinkett-Smith suffers from alopecia areata and has been public about her struggles with the disease since 2018. Alopecia areata is an auto-immune disorder that attacks hair follicles resulting in hair loss. 

While the jury is still out as to whether Smith’s actions were justified and/or whether Rock crossed a comedic line in commenting on Pinkett-Smith’s shaved head that is a result of a medical condition, what’s true is the incident is shining a new light on alopecia areata and the particular challenges women face in their hair loss battles. As a woman who has lived with alopecia areata since my pre-teen years, I know how upsetting it can be to endure comments about my hair (and lack of it). Hair loss can affect our confidence, self-esteem, and overall well-being. While I’ve always believed we can do wonders for one another by using kindness as our compass, sometimes it takes an unfortunate event to highlight the struggles of others.

Most of us are still in shock after having witnessed a physical attack on live television, particularly at something as widely-watched as the Academy Awards. But we’re also asking questions about an auto-immune disorder that affects millions of women like me. 

I’m always willing to share my story and I hope doing so encourages others to do the same.