Sameera Reddy reacts to Chris Rock making fun of Jada Pinkett Smith’s medical condition ot Oscars: Alopecia is more of an emotional trauma than physical

A lot is being said about Hollywood actor Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars over a joke about Will’s wife, actor Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. But actor Sameera Reddy wonders why there is a lack of focus on the issue at bottom of it all — Jada’s alopecia areata, a disorder that causes hair loss, and how ‘traumatising’ it can be.

Reddy, who also suffers from the condition, says, “Can we bring light to actually what caused this all which was a very personal trauma of a woman? What about her (Jada) feelings? In fact, alopecia areata, from my personal experience, has been more emotional [trauma] rather than a physical thing… I know that people are silently going through many kinds of personal, physical, or emotional trauma. We don’t know what’s going through people’s minds. [We need to be] very careful before saying anything to anybody.”

After the slapgate stir, reddy

After the slapgate stir at the Oscars, Reddy also opened up about her struggle with alopecia. She shared on Instagram that she was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease in 2016, when her husband spotted a two-inch bald spot at the back of her head.

“My purpose of writing that was [to say] that I understand the pain of a woman, or anybody, going through that sort of personal struggle or disease. It’s very hurtful and painful,” the 43-year-old says, adding, “It doesn’t directly affect you. For someone to be told that for the rest of your life, you have to be worried about patches or going bald on your scalp, for no reason. It can be traumatising.”

The actor also points out that she doesn’t take sides in the Will-Rock altercation. “Today, comedy has gone way past its boundaries. In the name of comedy, people are resorting to reaction, and they will go to any lengths to get that reaction. At the same time, one cannot use violence, which is unacceptable,” shares Reddy, who calls the whole episode very toxic.

“I only wish to bring light on the fact that people have personal struggles. I wish that in the world of social media, people understand that it’s a time for kindness and be sensitive to issues that people don’t usually talk about,” she concludes.