Rep. Ayanna Pressley embraces her hair loss in 'bald squad' selfie after revealing alopecia battle
Days after revealing to the world that she has alopecia — and showing off her completely bald head for the first time in public — Rep. Ayanna Pressley is leaning into her new look. On Sunday, the Massachusetts lawmaker, who has typically worn twists, shared a new selfie embracing her wig-free appearance, tweeting that she’s now part of the “bald squad.”
“New year. New decade. New truths. New swag,” Pressley added.
Happy Sunday! #baldsquad #baldbaddies #baldisbeautiful Thank you for the warm welcome #alopecia nation #hairlosscrew. New year. New decade. New truths. New swag. #theyaintreadyforthissmoke pic.twitter.com/M3ggSNrV9B
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) January 19, 2020
Fellow Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was among those cheering her on.
“Ayanna leads the fight for justice and does it all walking backwards, in heels, with a matching lip AND makes space for others rocking a hat better than anyone you know,” Ocasio-Cortez said of Pressley’s burgundy fedora.
Ayanna leads the fight for justice and does it all walking backwards, in heels, with a matching lip AND makes space for others rocking a hat better than anyone you know.
A queen. 👑👑👑 https://t.co/1um7UIXPdD— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 19, 2020
Pressley, who shared on Thursday that she went completely bald the night before the impeachment vote, also joined MSNBC host Joy Reid on Sunday morning for an appearance on AM Joy. The 45-year-old showed off her bare head as she spoke out about the “trauma and the stigma of hair loss” as well as the scrutiny women’s hair receives.
“As a woman and a woman in politics, and certainly as a black woman, everything is political,” she told Reid. “This is not shocking. I mean, I’ve introduced legislation to guard against the fact that black girls are pushed out of the classroom for how they wear their hair. I have colleagues who have been pressured by supporters and donors alike not to allow their hair to go gray, colleagues who have been told that they should straighten their hair and not wear it curly. And so hair is political.”
She ended by giving a “shoutout to ‘bald nation,’ my fellow alopecians,” adding that she’s received support from men, women and children who are also battling hair loss as a result of the autoimmune disorder.
“Black girls are pushed out of the classroom for how they wear their hair. I have colleagues who have been pressured...not to allow their hair to go gray, colleagues who have been told that they should straighten their hair..Hair is political.”
- @AyannaPressley on #AMJoy pic.twitter.com/RWgA0R3Gyp— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) January 19, 2020
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