As we all know, an act of violence happened in the 94th edition of the Oscars against Jada Smith: Chris Rock, an American comedian, made a joke about the actress’ shaved head. However, on her social media she had already said what motivated the radical decision: Alopecia, a disease that causes hair loss all over the body.
The Pain Is not Relevant, The Show Must Go On
At that moment, Jada was in a very vulnerable position. However, for the media the focus was what followed the offense. Will Smith, Jada’s husband and the winner of one of the most awaited awards of the night, slapped Rock’s face in a violent attempt at his wife’s defense. The actor was very criticized, but what about Jada?
The violence against the actress wasn’t reverberated as much as it should, because it didn’t provoke the show that society always wants to see. Alopecia doesn’t cause any life risk, but for Jada Smith, the disease brought chock and a radical change in her appearance, a blow to her self-esteem.
The Oppression Award Goes To Hollywood: A Black Woman In A Racist Business
Being a black woman in the cinema industry at the biggest part of time is a challenge. According to Jada Smith, it was hard for her because she was pressured to fit in an ‘European standard’, even though she likes her ‘curly and wild hair’.
The standard faced by Jada and a lot of other black actresses reflects the racism that black people need to fight against day by day. Just like the violence in The Oscars, it’s neglected. The actress’ comment about the cinematographic industry stills a problem these days, because in so many cases black personalities need to fight against the prejudice that prevents them to show their natural hairs and other ethnics aspects, like in Jada’s case a woman with naturally curly hair.
At some point, precisely in 2018, the actress shared with the world that she shaved her hair going against every imposition. However, Jada also confessed that she was terrified with the first contact with the excessive loss of hair. A change like that meant something, and for the fans it wasn’t a secret that Jada Smith loved her hair and that she was going through a long process with her new look.
Chris Rock’s bad joke wasn’t just mean but also a violence against all the way that Jada is crossing to recover her relation with her appearance and self-esteem constantly taken away from her and from many black women in the industry.
A Season For Healing And To Be Proud Of Your Crown
Jada Smith uses her social media to share her feelings about alopecia and her relationship with her hair and the Hollywood industry. Days before The Oscars, she posted a video telling people to “be proud of your crown”. She also confessed that it wasn’t always that she could easily sustain hers. After The Oscars, Jada spoke briefly on Instagram, just leaving the message “This is a season for healing. And I’m here for it”.
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The article above was edited by Giovana Lins Barbosa.
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