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In her very personal reveal, detailing her new reality of living with alopecia, the outspoken Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley quotes the famous India Irie song, “I Am Not My Hair.” Pressley says, “No, I am not … but I still want it back.”
Pressley, who was among the record number of powerhouse woman elected to Congress during 2018 midterms talked exclusively to The Root about her alopecia journey.
She says that after trying several different hairstyles to include wigs over the years, the was something about Senegalese twists that she got t years ago that spoke to her, so to speak. She adopted the style as her trademark which she says, to her surprise were quickly accepted by many. It was last fall when she says that she went to her stylist to get them re-done, when she was told that she had a bald spot. From there, she says that she lost her hair quickly.
At some point she knew that she wanted to reveal her new reality to the world. That day came this week:
According to The National Alopecia Areata Foundation, alopecia areata is a common autoimmune disease that causes hair loss on the scalp, face, and sometimes other parts of the body. It can range from some small bald patches to total loss of hair on the entire body.
Happy Sunday! #baldsquad #baldbaddies #baldisbeautiful Thank you for the warm welcome #alopecia nation #hairlosscrew. New year. New decade. New truths. New swag. #theyaintreadyforthissmoke pic.twitter.com/M3ggSNrV9B
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) January 19, 2020
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