Celebrity
Alopecia Advocate Praises Will Smith For Defending His Wife Over Chris Rock’s Joke
“Him defending Jada showed strength in my eyes.”
At the 2022 Oscars, Will Smith defended his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, over a joke made by Chris Rock about her bald-headed hairstyle. The incident has since sparked mixed reactions online, but those who share the same medical condition as Jada felt protected. One of the many is ZaraLena Jackson.
Jackson also suffers from hair loss and has been an advocate on social media. She’s standing by Smith, 53, and his actions at the Dolby Theatre.
She started losing patches of her blonde hair in 2020 and then lost strands in her eyebrows and lashes. She soon became utterly bald.
The “Ex on the Beach” star told SWNS it’s inappropriate to make any joke about someone with alopecia as it’s a condition that highly impacts mental health for that individual and isn’t a laughing matter. While she doesn’t advocate for violence, the 29-Year-Old insisted that Rock, 57, should have known better.
“To be clear, I don’t condone violence, but him defending Jada showed strength in my eyes and was very comforting to see a man stand by his woman when she has alopecia.”
Of Rock’s actions, she added: “Being a comedian is very tongue in cheek, and we all dislike when jokes are targeted as us, regardless of the subject, but he should have anticipated that response naturally and known better.” Jackson admitted she had been victimized and bullied for her condition and hoped a partner stood up for her like the “King Richard” star did at the Oscars.
“I’ve had friends and family joke about ‘let your hair down or ask to borrow a razor or shampoo, which I just laugh at because I know they mean no harm, and it can be humorous to see them panic without thinking about the comment.”
Rock referred to Jada, 50, like GI Jane, and Jackson shared that people have called her that name.
“I’ve had a few reference me with the GI Jane comment. I think GI Jane looks insane, though, so I wasn’t offended.” The influencers recalled her mom had once told her, “Oh wow Zara, you look like a GI Jane babe!” She often deals with snide comments, including others insinuating she’s not natural anymore. Jackson then that if alopecia were taken as a medical condition and not cosmetic, the subject wouldn’t joke around lightly.
She concluded that everyone seems to make noise about the importance of mental health when a life is lost, yet there’re no changes to prevent the cause.
However, Jackson, who appeared on the MTV reality show in 2017, has always liked the idea of natural beauty but wears wigs and eyebrows to look normal. Alopecia is an autoimmune disease that causes hair to fall out in clumps. While hair loss is different for everyone, some loose strands in only a few areas. Sometimes, the hair grows back in the bald spots.
