Viral footage of Jada Pinkett Smith ‘proves’ she is lying about having alopecia
After Oscar-winner Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony, it seemed the internet couldn’t stop talking about the hair loss condition Jada Pinkett Smith is suffering from—a journey she has openly documented since being diagnosed with it. A move that was celebrated, at least until rumours accusing the actress, and mother of Jaden and Willow Smith, of lying about her condition recently spread among netizens.
Both on TikTok and Reddit, users can be seen debating over images Smith shared of her bald scalp when talking about her hair loss. In a video shared on TikTok by Mariah Campbell along with the caption “Here is my celebrity conspiracy,” the content creator can be heard saying, “I think she’s completely lying about having alopecia because she’s a cheater and she wants people to focus on other things.”
“Alopecia is patches—smooth patches where the hair follicles don’t grow,” Campbell goes on to say while showing some images of examples where viewers can see the type of round patches she’s talking about. She then displays a picture of Smith pointing at a line just above her forehead, which the actress explained in a previous video to be a result of her condition. “See that line she [Jada Pinkett Smith] is referring to? That’s from cosmetic surgery, not from alopecia.”
As her second argument, Campbell further highlights how Smith seems to have hair growth all over her scalp, no matter how short it actually is. “Jada claims to have alopecia areata [which is said online to start with ‘circular bald patches’]. But she seems to have a lot of hair growth from someone who has alopecia,” the user concludes.
On Reddit, user ServiceCats seems to share the same opinion as Campbell. In a post shared on r/ControversialOpinions, the netizen wrote, “Jada Pinkett Smith is lying about having alopecia. She has a full head of hair stubs except on a thin scar line. Real alopecia is smooth and in patches and cannot grow any stubs at all. She chose to shave her hair, she didn’t lose it to a disease.”
Though this theory appears to make sense for some, others have been quick to counterargue such claims with evidence of their own. In the aforementioned Reddit post’s comment section, one user answered, “This is literally brain rot. Alopecia can have different effects—she lost her hair, documented it thoroughly. Became bald, and now she’s trying to grow it back, that’s the stage we are in now. She was bald due to a disease and is trying to grow it back. Alopecia doesn’t make you bald forever, it comes in random waves. She’s probably gonna grow it back and then lose it again in the future.”
Another pointed out, “It is said that she has the type of alopecia that can be caused by stress, treated with steroids and does not necessarily result in total and permanent hair loss. There are different types of alopecia. My doctor has it and she has no eyelashes, tattooed eyebrows and wears wigs. It’s obvious that she has it. Jada had a full head of stubble at the Oscars. I would not consider that a severe case.”
The American Academy of Dermatology Association explains that “many people who develop alopecia areata develop a round or oval bald patch on their scalp.” That being said, “many” does not represent everyone. Once you develop this autoimmune condition, you may live with bouts of hair loss and other related symptoms for the rest of your life. Some people, however, may experience hair loss just once. The same variation applies to recovery—some people will experience full regrowth of hair. Others may not. They may even experience additional hair loss.
In Smith’s case, those who believe she’s lying about her condition are suggesting that the scar she showed in the video above has been caused by a brow lift. As for why she might be lying in the first place, some avid internet conspirators seem to believe that the actress is exploiting alopecia as a way to have the public feel sorry for her instead of focusing on the fact that she cheated on her husband.
Commenting under their own Reddit post, ServiceCats added, “The reason why all this is important is because Chris Rock did not joke about a disease, he joked about a hairstyle; a personal decision Jada made which was to shave her head. Again, Jada did not lose her hair to a disease, she chose to cut it off and you can clearly see it can completely grow back if she wanted it to, even if it may be sort of thin. There are no bald patches anywhere and she has a full head of stubble. She is posing as someone with a disease for sympathy, to appear as a victim, and to distract people from the fact that she is a cheater.”
What do you think?
