Jada Pinkett Smith, presenter of Red Table Talk, recently talked about her experience with alopecia, an autoimmune condition that results in partial or total hair loss.
In an interview with The Guardian, the actress reportedly discussed how her condition has been a “wonderful teacher” who has helped her change her views on what it means to be a beautiful Black woman.
“It’s been a hard one, a scary one — because specifically as Black women, we identify so much of ourselves with our hair,” Pinkett Smith said. “And it was scary. I had to really dig deep and see the beauty of myself beyond my aesthetics.”
“When you get to my age, you get so settled in your skin, so comfortable in the knowingness of you, that you don’t get concerned about what other people have to say. The elders earn that,” she added.
“I learned a lot about detachment,” Pinkett Smith continued in the interview with The Guardian. “And I learned a deeper beauty within myself, being able to let my hair go,” she said regarding her condition being brought to light following Rock’s Oscars joke.
“I see my younger self in her,” she said of her daughter. “She’s so fiery, so ready to go. Ready to take on the world. … Then, as you get older, you don’t hold on to that stage. You pass the torch and settle into your new understanding.”