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Auto-immune disorder means Ayanna Pressley is now bald

By adamg on Thu, 01/16/2020 - 9:00pm

The Root talks to Pressley about the loss of her proud locks due to Alopecia areata, in which the body's immune system kills off hair follicles.

The night Pressley lost her final piece of her hair was pivotal, she says. Not only was it the night before Donald Trump’s impeachment vote in the House of Representatives, it was the anniversary of her mother’s death. The sense of loss was manifold.

Topics: 
Politics
Free tagging: 
Ayanna Pressley


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Comments

By anon on Thu, 01/16/2020 - 9:28pm.

But couldn’t imagine going through this or having the strength to be so open about it.

Respect!

By berkleealum on Fri, 01/17/2020 - 1:49am.

she’s an obama era centrist dem that doesn’t usually elicit that response.

agreed though she’s shown a lot of strength.

By anon on Fri, 01/17/2020 - 9:14am.

I consider her a Pressley-era Dem

By Stevil on Sat, 01/18/2020 - 1:32pm.

I just disagree with much of her politics.

Hard to call her a centrist. She calls herself a progressive which falls maybe a tiny bit right of Bernie, a self described socialist.

Tough break and I wish her well.

By anon on Fri, 01/17/2020 - 3:58pm.

Nice backhanded comment.

By Boston_res on Thu, 01/16/2020 - 9:36pm.

Great woman, easily approachable, friendly, and does a great job for constituents. I don't care what she looks like. She's amazing.

By Don't Panic on Thu, 01/16/2020 - 11:49pm.

She looks amazing! That woman is just plain attractive.

By SwirlyGrrl on Thu, 01/16/2020 - 9:36pm.

And dammit, if I ever go bald I hope to have such an amazingly beautiful head!

By mg on Thu, 01/16/2020 - 11:24pm.

Losing beautiful long hair is devastating - I know, having experienced this when I went through chemo. It takes a lot of courage and grace to be so open about it. Beautifully done.

By BostonDog on Fri, 01/17/2020 - 7:30am.

This has been a national story with coverage in most major outlets. The Boston Globe is the only one which used a thumbnail of the video when she removed the wig as opposed to earlier in the video when she still had it on or a file photo from before.

Given the nature her discussion, this seems like a cheap shot by the Globe. It's as if what she said was unimportant, they just wanted to show her bald.

It's a lousy editorial decision, something I'd expect from a tabloid or conservative hit piece.

By anon on Fri, 01/17/2020 - 6:49am.

Another way to look at it is we already know what she looks like, where as people in LA may not be so familiar with her. Did you really need to be reminded of what she looks like? If you do then you have been under a rock for the past decade, she has been very visible and her hair has been a subject she has discussed quite a bit in these parts over the years. I do not see the Globe trashing her. The entire point of all this is she is being open and there is nothing to be ashamed of.

By fungwah on Fri, 01/17/2020 - 9:13am.

I've seen the thumbnail of her bald used at a bunch of sites. Here's an example search - I see it at the BBC, CNN, Fox News, CBS Boston, WBUR, Slate, Daily Beast...

Personally, I don't see any problem with it - as others have said, she looks great, and her revealing it is the major point of the story.

By Lmo on Fri, 01/17/2020 - 9:28am.

I have seen that image displayed by other media outlets as well. She’s absolutely stunning in that shot.

By Marco on Fri, 01/17/2020 - 8:50am.

for a cringe moment but honestly she looks pretty bad ass with a bald head. Reminded me of the lady-warriors of Wakanda from the Black Panther Marvel movie.
Keep kickin ass Ayanna the 7th's got your back!

By JPMom on Fri, 01/17/2020 - 9:26am.

inside and out, with or without hair! It was very brave and vulnerable of her to reveal this medical condition. I wish her peace and health.

By DN on Fri, 01/17/2020 - 9:39am.

Did she say it was alopecia areata? It could also be traction alopecia.

By Hansic on Fri, 01/17/2020 - 12:53pm.

Alopecia Areata

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/01/ayanna-pressley-reveals-her-...

By SwirlyGrrl on Fri, 01/17/2020 - 1:30pm.

It came out very fast and nothing is growing back in. It is also her entire head, not "patchy" as she described the start of it.

(traction alopecia = damage from tight ponytails/braiding/etc. People can also lose their hair in patches due to straightening chemicals.)

By Rob on Fri, 01/17/2020 - 10:07am.

The "check double-standard" light on my dashboard is starting to flicker a little bit.
.
I'm reading 'attractive' and 'beautiful with or without' and I'm starting to get a vibe of "as long as she looks good"
If it was a male rep or senator, would the reactions be "he looked good" or something more like careworn, battle-scarred, wearing his scars proudly...?

By SalSal on Fri, 01/17/2020 - 4:41pm.

People are commenting on how she looks without hair because on most women, baldness looks really bad. It's also rare. She is one of the few that can pull it off, so good for her!

By Roxres on Fri, 01/17/2020 - 5:54pm.

Just wondering how many women asked for your opinion on whether or not they're doing well at pulling off their baldness. Anyone?

By Rob on Fri, 01/17/2020 - 6:47pm.

Missed the point, thereby kinda proving the point

By SwirlyGrrl on Fri, 01/17/2020 - 6:58pm.

If bald women are rare, how do you define "exception"?

Statistically that makes no sense.

By Refugee on Fri, 01/17/2020 - 11:45am.

from the future?