Rep. Ayanna Pressley Claps Back at Trolls Who Called Her ‘Mr. Clean’ After Going Public About Alopecia
Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley recently came forward about her struggles with alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss. She has confidently embraced her bald head as a new style, but has also been the subject of online bullying, so she is now speaking out.
The freshman lawmaker wrote on her Twitter account, "Dear Trolls. You really think I look like ‘Mr. Clean’? Please. He never looked THIS clean. Sorry not sorry my unapologetically rockin' my crown triggers you.Proud #alopecian."
The tweet has received more than 136,000 likes and gotten love from folks like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and legendary actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, who wrote, "They don’t know or understand just how 'clean' you are!"
Pressley, who was known for wearing Senegalese twists, first became aware of her hair loss last fall while getting her hair retwisted. Pressley told The Root she lost her final piece of hair the night before Donald Trump’s impeachment vote in the House of Representatives. It was also the anniversary of her mother’s death.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, alopecia makes the body attack its own healthy hair and drastically slows down production to the point that hair growth may stop.
