EXPLAINER: Alopecia ‘strips people of their identity’

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST
Associated Press

Alopecia is an autoimmune disorder that affects millions of people around the world. But to many women it is much more, especially Black women. Hair’s significance in beauty, race and culture can make its loss all the more poignant. So during the 94th Academy Awards ceremony Sunday night when comedian Chris Rock threw a pointed joke at Jada Pinkett Smith that some felt was insensitive about her hair loss, it exposed many layers of feeling for people wrestling with the disorder. It also threw a spotlight on the disorder, which is little discussed but fairly common and affects a wide range of people, including children.