Actress Viola Davis reveals battle with alopecia

According to an interview with Vulture that I found on Bet.com, actress Viola Davis struggles with alopecia. 

Many have noted that there seems to be an error in the article: The fact that stress does not cause alopecia, but may trigger it.

Viola Davis is a natural beauty, but there was a time when the actress really struggled with revealing what was going on under her wigs. In a recent interview with Vulture, the How to Get Away With Murder star revealed that she was battling alopecia areata, a condition that causes a person to lose round patches of hair from their scalp. Davis was 28 years old when she lost most of her hair to the condition and her confidence took a hit.

"I woke up one day and it looked like I had a Mohawk. Big splash of bald on the top of my head," she said. "I was like, 'What is this?' Until I found out it was stress related. That's how I internalized it. I don't do that anymore. My favorite saying in the world is, 'The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.' I am telling you, I have spent so much of my life not feeling comfortable in my skin. I am just so not there anymore."

Davis said that her alopecia made her cling to wigs and hide underneath them because she didn't feel beautiful in her natural state.

"I wore a wig in the Jacuzzi. I had a wig I wore around the house. I had a wig that I wore to events. I had a wig that I wore when I worked out. I never showed my natural hair. It was a crutch, not an enhancement … I was so desperate for people to think that I was beautiful. I had to be liberated from that [feeling] to a certain extent," she said.

That moment finally arrived when she attended the 2012 Oscars and showed off her natural short 'fro. We have to applaud her decision to "come out" with her natural hair at a time when the whole world would be watching because we can only imagine how big a step that was for her. While she still wears her wigs to work and media events, Davis said she no longer feels like she has to hide under a hairpiece and sees them as options rather than a necessity in her life.

To read the entire interview and learn Davis's 14 steps to happiness, click here.

 

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Comment by dreamscometrue on March 24, 2016 at 12:52pm

and scarredbeauty, a woman is a helluva lot more than just her hair, a wig just mask the insecurities you have to live with anyway. I believe in empowerment not suffering. Positive reinforcement not negative and I'll deal with it by hiding and putting down the very thing I have.  You cant empower by hiding and putting down and constantly feeling sorry for yourself. But you can support and empower by respecting others choices and celebrating those. I believe all of us are different and all of us are beautiful in all our different ways

Comment by Cheryl, Co-founder on April 6, 2016 at 11:34pm

I certainly believe that bald can be beautiful!

I also believe that alopecia will struggle to be socially acceptable until more and more people are willing to be seen without a head covering and let the world know about alopecia.  I have had alopecia for close to 25 years now, I can see the shift.  When I was first diagnosed just about everybody wore a headcovering and it seemed that nobody knew about alopecia.  Now I find that as more and more people are willing to show their heads and share their stories and more and more people know what it is.   I know it is not for everybody, but for the ones who can and are willing I think it makes it better for those who struggle with alopecia and also for the next generation of alopecian coming down the line.  So I believe that even if you are not able you should support and encourage the ones who are for that reason.  I don't think we need to be 2 competing camps. 

Comment by CattRob on December 28, 2017 at 5:53am

Brave statement that definitely deserves respect.

Comment by Bon on February 8, 2020 at 3:42pm

Hello all. Well being diagnosed with Lichen Planoparilis was a shock just 3 days ago! The dermatologist that did biopsy suggested meds that would distroy my health so I told her I choose to lose my hair and focus on staying fit and move into acceptance through good nutrition, cortisol managers, for 2 weeks a topical cortisone liquid as needed to calm the inflamation down, LDN which has shown promising results in autoimmune cases and last but NOT least prayer and Meditation.  BTW, it was my naturopath that suggesed the LDN. If I don't get results with it she has two more options one being Mauda or she mentioned taking a bit of my blood mixing it with an enzyme and I think Amino acids (I was still emotional so don't recall exactly) I jumped on the LDN.  My alopecia is RARE, thank you very much, but it is what it is, right? I have to work with what I have.  In 2014 I divorced after 36 years so here I am alone.....meeting myself learning to Love and appreciate ME. It is definitely a day by day process.  I belong to a dojo, have many close friends, also long time friends that will love me no matter what.  I wouldn't turn away from a friend or anyone else for that matter simply because the've encountered a life and appearance changing situation......so why not extend that same acceptance and compassion to myself.  My scalp is a part of me....why should I be ashamed of that part of me.  I AM NOT MY HAIR!  By being open about what's going on with my friends it allows them to support me.  If and when it comes to shaving my head, I've asked 4 women to be there for me.....they all agreed.  I was a cosmetologist, had thick beautiful Carmel colored hair but was NEVER appreciative of it...gave way too much energy to trying to straighten it in the 70's....I treated my hair as an enemy for 45 years! On a positive note I loved changing out my look and color with faux hair so I have many really nice ones. But no wonder my body has decided to honor my biggest fear.  The power of the mind is amazing....I truly believe I have manifested this condition.....if I created it I can let it go and move into acceptance because staying in a stressful state isn't going to help a darn thing.  So  after I meditate I let my body know that yes, I get the message and it's okay everything is going to be okay. I caress my feet, my arms, my remaining hair and gently say it's okay you can rest now, it's not necessary to turn on me becasuse now I love and appreciate every part of me that has been with me for 70 years! With each caress I say thank you for serving me all these years.   I am the picture of health in every other aspect so I refuse to ruin my health behind this issue which I firmly believe will subside. I am not in denial.....we each have our process....and I am certain that I will be able to comfort others on my journey just as they will comfort and support me.  So I THANK all of you for sharing your fears, pain both physical  psychological and emotional as well as moving into focusing on solutions and what has worked or not worked for you.  I am going to need to learn from you how to move into the different stages: i.e. make up, other head coverings, dating, the normal stuff without a full head of hair.  Create a good day for yourselves and those around you. Bon

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