EXPLAINER: Alopecia 'strips people of their identity'

Alopecia is an autoimmune disorder that affects millions of people around the world. But to many women — and to Black women, in particular — it is much more. It’s about beauty and race, about culture and about the uncertainty that the disorder creates around people’s perception of themselves.

So during the 94th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday night, when comedian Chris Rock threw a pointed joke at Jada Pinkett Smith about her hair loss that some felt was insensitive, the event exposed many layers of feeling for those who wrestle with the disorder.

It also threw a spotlight on the disorder, which is little discussed but fairly common and affects a wide range of people, including children.

Actor Will Smith, who stunned millions when he walked onstage and slapped Rock over the joke about Pinkett Smith, has since apologized to the comedian, the academy and viewers.

Here are some of the things about alopecia that are reverberating:

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WHAT’S IT LIKE TO HAVE ALOPECIA?

Rock’s joke was tough to hear for New York interior designer Sheila Bridges.

She spoke to Rock for his 2009 documentary “Good Hair” about the importance of hair in Black culture. She talked about the shame and humiliation of losing hers to the disease, how her hairstyle is intertwined with her racial identity and how the loss of her hair affected her sense of femininity and social currency.

The Oscars slap left Bridges with conflicting emotions: She condemned Smith’s assault on Rock, sympathized with Pinkett Smith and was deeply disappointed in Rock.

“It is not easy as a woman to navigate life without any hair and a society that is obsessed with hair,” Bridges said.

She doesn’t wear wigs because she doesn’t want to, and also hopes to normalize and...