Ayanna Pressley has always been interested in the political environment since her early life. Ayanna is the first woman of color to serve in the Boston City Council. As a member of the Boston City Council, she addressed domestic violence, child abuse, and many other things. Recently, she was one of the newly elected congresswomen as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts 7th district in 2019. This district is one of, if not the most, diverse and unequal districts in Massachusetts. She is representing their experiences like her own to relate to the people and relay that information to her fellow congress members. Being the first black woman to be elected, her goal was to be an activist to help those like her and prevent her hardships happen to others.
In an interview with The Root, she revealed that she has alopecia. Alopecia is an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss. The cause is unknown but can stem from stress and pulling of hairstyles. Ayanna Pressley was known for her Senegalese twists years ago, that became part of her identity. People recognized this about her, and it was a remarkable moment across the country. Being that her hair was recognizable by many people, losing her hair made her vulnerable within and to the public. She recognized the patches when she was getting her hair done. It accelerated quickly and it got to the point where it was all gone right before she had to cast a vote in support of the articles of impeachment. She said that moment was her transformation. It marked her emergence of becoming more than just her hair. She mentioned it feeling like she was participating in “cultural betrayal” because her hair was gone.
Courtesy: Wabe
Ayanna was only bald within the comfort of her own home and with her close friends, away from people who would not understand her. After her interview with The Root, she received overwhelming support from colleagues on Twitter, for sharing her intimate story. She has been given praise on her strength and bravery being an African American woman in the political field. She has shed light on how much people should be aware of this disease and the seriousness it causes. Ayanna made a statement about being a role model and being confident in who you are no matter your skin color, age, or health.
She uses her political platform to give context and new meaning to her ‘hair’ to the community. Her transparency gives people a sense of trust in their personal life. Her hair was part of her voice. Her new normal is living with alopecia. It affects not only her but many people in the black community. What was once a part of her is loss physically, it has now taken shape of her newfound confidence. Her different hairstyles were a statement to the public showing who she was would not change being in the political field and her baldness now is a statement of acceptance of who she is becoming. Being bald is beautiful.
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