The actress
Jada Pinkett Smith is opening up about her “terrifying” experience with hair loss and how she fears she will go bald.
The actress addressed why she has frequently been wearing head accessories during her Facebook Watch show Red Table Talk.
“It was terrifying when it first started,” shared the mom of two about her “hair loss issues.” “I was in the shower one day, then had handfuls of hair in my hands and I was just like, ‘Oh, my God, am I going bald?’”
“It was one of those times in my life where I was literally shaking with fear,” she continued. “That’s why I cut my hair, and why I continue to cut it.”
The Girls Trip star said she has visited various experts and “gotten every kind of test there is,” but still has no explanation for why she is losing so many strands.
Like many women, Smith feels her hair has been a part of her identity, making the hair loss more difficult to come to terms with.
“My hair has been a big part of me,” she explained. “Taking care of my hair has been a beautiful ritual and having the choice to have hair or not. And then one day to be like, ‘Oh, my God, I might not have that choice anymore.’ ”
Pinkett Smith, who is married to Will Smith, has maintained short hair since debuting a new bob earlier in the year. She has also been sporting head wraps and turbans, as she becomes accustomed to no longer having so much thick, healthy hair "that people always thought I had weaves.”
Pinkett Smith said that realizing God could have taken something worse from her has helped her accept her thinning hair and she now feels “like a queen” when her locks are wrapped up in a turban.
During the episode, Smith’s daughter, Willow, also discussed her insecurities, sharing how she used to be envious of curvier girls.
"I, in my own life struggled with curvier women and curvier girls have always gotten more attention from the boys that I've liked and have ended up dating the boys that I've liked," the 17-year-old explained. "That's constantly happening and me, you know, being their friend, but not really seeing them look at me in a certain way.”
“Then you start to wonder, 'Dang, am I just not desirable? Is my body just not what society likes?’” she continued. “I hear my friends that are curvy telling me, 'It's so great that you can wear some shorts and a tank top and not feel overexposed or feel like people are looking at you differently.' Everyone wants what they don't have."
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