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Reports from this year’s Oscar ceremony were dominated by the theme of Will Smith’s attack on comedian Chris Rock, joking about the actor’s wife’s hairstyle. The joke was unfortunate because Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head is not her choice – the woman suffers from alopecia areata. We asked Aleksandra Przybylska, known as ŁysOla, who has been struggling with this disease for years, to comment on the incident.
- – Joking about someone’s illness is the lowest level of a joke. We do not know at what level of disease acceptance a given person is (…). I am not a supporter of the use of physical violence, but the situation showed that Will Smith knows what his wife is going through and simply stood up for her. Victims of jokes due to illness do not always have the courage to speak up, says the influencer.
- BaldOla found out that she was suffering from alopecia areata when she was 17 years old. The process of accepting the lack of treatment effects and the new appearance took her several years
- Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease characterized by partial or complete hair loss, often permanent
- A coverage of the 2022 Oscars is available here
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
Who is baldOla?
Aleksandra Przybylska has been suffering from alopecia, or alopecia areata, for over 10 years. It is an autoimmune disease in which the hair follicles are weakened and, as a consequence, hair loss occurs. Alopecia can be local (one or more patches) or it may affect the entire head and even other parts of the body covered with hair (eyebrows, eyelashes, armpits, pubis, etc.). The cause of the disease is unknown, so treatment is difficult, long-term and often ineffective.
This was the case with Aleksandra, who She heard the diagnosis as a 17-year-old and after several years of unsuccessful therapy, she decided to end the treatment and accept the disease and her changed appearance. In 2018, she set up an account on Instagram, where, as a bald Ola, she spreads knowledge about alopecia and supports people struggling with this disease.
- See also: «The most difficult moment? When I first took off my wig in front of my boyfriend »
Why did Will Smith hit Chris Rock at the Oscars?
Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, also suffers from alopecia areata. The American actress informed fans about her problem last year, showing her shaved head on Instagram.
However, this information has not reached everyone or not everyone is aware of how much of a psychological burden this disease is. This is well illustrated by the situation at the Sunday Oscar ceremony when comedian Chris Rock publicly joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. The actress herself “just” rolled her eyes, but her husband, Will, was outraged enough to attack Rock, hitting him in the face. The incident was on the lips of the entire world, overshadowing other aspects of the ceremony.
The rest of the text below the video.
«The lowest level of a joke»
We know what celebrities think about the event, but we were curious how the situation is perceived by a person who is struggling with alopecia on his own. How about making jokes about her illness? Is it easier for Pinkett Smith, as an actress, to get over the agenda after such an event? Does he think this situation will help people with alopecia areata?
– I believe that making fun of someone’s illness is the lowest level of a joke and should never be done. We do not know at what level of acceptance of the disease a person is, whether he accepts it or whether he is fighting it hard. The wife of Will Smith showed that she was not amused by this joke – comments Aleksandra Przybylska, adding how important the support of the family is in this disease.
I am not a supporter of the use of physical violence, but this situation showed that Will Smith knows what his wife is going through, knows how she copes with the disease and simply stood up for her. Victims of jokes due to illness do not always have the courage to speak up, they close in on themselves.
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BaldOla on spreading knowledge about the disease: “The biggest job has already been done”
According to BaldOli, the incident that took place at the Oscars can only help – in spreading knowledge about the disease. – It would be great if Jada Pinkett Smith used this situation to talk about alopecia more, but it all depends on what she experiences inside herself. Generally, the biggest job has already been done: everyone writes about her illness, people find out that something like that exists and learn to respect other people and not comment on what she looks like, because it can sometimes be independent of him.
Could the fact that Jada Pinkett Smith is an actress who changes appearance frequently in preparation for a role help her accept her illness? – It doesn’t really matter. Alopecia affects the psyche too much. When we get sick, everything changes dramatically, we only focus on healing ourselves. Of course, As an actress, Jada Pinkett Smith certainly has more opportunities to change her appearance, but she has it under her control there, and in the case of illness, it has no effect on what she looks like, it happens outside of her. No profession or role in society affects how this disease is perceived – claims baldOla.
As he adds, the fact that the actress spoke publicly about her illness does not necessarily mean that 100 percent. he can handle it. – It was exactly the same for me: I said that I was ill, but I was still fighting with myself inside. Now I accept that I have no hair. I see it as an appearance trait, not a disease. I accept that I suffer from alopecia areata and I do not treat it as a struggle. The only recipe for this disease is to accept it.
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We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to emotions. Often times, a particular sight, sound or smell brings to mind a similar situation that we have already experienced. What opportunities does this give us? How does our body react to such an emotion? You will hear about this and many other aspects related to emotions below.
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