She's so beautiful! Living proof a woman doesn't need hair to be beautiful! She's handled it very well!

I suffer from this vicious disease and whilst I’m so happy people out there are able to overcome and accept this. I’ve yet to find that inner acceptance and this is 2 years in for me. I think the difference lies in the wig, when she put it on the uplift was instantaneous. However, when I attempted that all I did was cry and somehow feel less like myself. I’m only writing this as an opportunity to anonymously vent my views towards the disease. I am genuinely happy she, and others, are able to gain strength from this. But I’m sure there are others like me who haven’t reached that point or won’t reach that point. To those I say, the thoughts you have in this moment aren’t worth it. You know what I mean. Spread the love.

Thank you for this! My daughter, now 8yo, Lost all of her hair this year. She used to do elaborate hair styles and updo’s all the time with her long and thick hair. She has a wig now, but most of the time she just rocks her bald head. Missing her hair at times but proud of who she is. She has given speeches at school for both teachers and students. This was very wonderful for her to see, so thank you!

Losing my hair, I lost so much of me with it. I haven’t been the same since but I’m working on it daily. Thanks for this ❤

Trust me, it hurts the same as for men, especially at a young age

Our stories must be heard and shared. Thank you, TED for providing the platform for us to spread awareness!

I absolutely love this Jannica! Incredibly beautiful & powerful speech. Our vulnerability is our strength!!!! I love you!

Jannica! Just shared this with my bf and I so needed this as well to be reminded that vulnerability is a strength. Beautiful speech. Thank you and love you!

Great talk. Continued blessings on your journey Jannica!

Can relate so much. Trigeminal neuralgia can be pain, I won't let it be suffering.

Bless you dear ,,You have superb presence and charisma

Very recognizable. I went through the same process when I lost my hair to Alopecia. I don´t wear wigs because I find them uncomfortable and I feel like I´m hiding a part of myself when I wear them. So I usually go bald of wear a scarf. We each figure out what works for us during the process I suppose. You described the transition to acceptance beautifully.

Such an impacting story, from a stunning and empowered person. I really respect the work you did here, and I'd like to thank you for sharing your perspective and story with us. Thank Ted Talks for hosting such an important space too. Our stories and processes must be heard and shared, and all this information needs to be put where everybody struggling with hair loss and any form of alopecia can find it.

Proof that a woman can just as attractive without any hair

That's just simply awesomse...!!!

Great job Jannica!!

I believe you just explained the C.S. Lewis quote "You are a soul. You have a body." Nice job. Cheers!

I found out I had alopecia last year. And while I seem strong and act like it doesn’t bother me. Deep down it does and I’m a strong willed person but I just seem to not be able to get passed it. I do feel alone and isolated.

motivation 🙌🏻

Motivation💯

This really is emotional and thanks for sharing . Wish you didn’t comment on Jada because she might be at this stage of where you were in the beginning of your journey. You are so beautiful either way .

I watched this vid after reading this woman's reaction to the recent Will Smith drama & wanted to leave a comment for that algorithm game. She said Jada should've taken Chris's joke as a compliment since GI Jane is freaking hot & an absolute badass, which this woman also is. Have a nice day!

I am not the body, Iam not even the mind:Sadhguru If we accept this we are spiritually and physically attractive to the entire world ,

Powerful

Awesome. :)

😍❤️❤️

Everyone EVERYONE says their hair was part of their identity. Men will say it made them feel confident, young, attractive.. ita no different. I always hate when people say, yeah but it was such a part of me. So are your arms and legs and ears... Everything we were all born with and of course you would miss it when its gone.

I had the same experience but not with alopecia. It was with hair though. I was blonde as a kid, and lots of people liked my hair, I felt lucky to have blonde hair, which is hard to have because the most common hair is brown. However, in middle school my hair started to darken. I tried many things to stop it but it still got dark until I became brunette. I would beg my parents to dye it, but they wouldn’t let me. I felt miserable about my hair being dark and would complain about it all the time. I thought in high school in order to be cool you had to have blonde hair because the blondes got most attention (most of the blondes where girls). However, I then realized that I was different, even my personality and interests, and that was what made me not like the super popular blondes, it wasn’t my hair color. I liked to color, read and listen to music different from others. I was a more shy than others but still had a small group of friends. And I liked watching cartoons on tv instead of famous Netflix like the other kids. I dress differently. For example, I prefer to wear my shoes without socks or when it’s warm out I wear my slides to school. The shorts I wear are usually very soft material, or cackeys. I wear either very long shirts. Or tank tops that are odd colors such as beige, pink, gray, or white. My voice sounds different than others too, it is a more childish voice. I first realized I was different and if I’m made different, why not be different since that’s me. I then thought if I’m going to be myself then why would I want to dye my hair blonde to try to like those kids. I then no longer considered dying my hair blonde, and stopped complaining about dark hair. I thought to myself “Okay, I was blonde as a child, okay it has become dark, but that’s just how my hair work, let’s not fight it and just let it be”. I continued on with my hobbies and now I barely think about my hair or get sad that I’m not blonde anymore. I just accept myself with dark hair.

Bald is beautiful. 👍🏻😀👍🏻 I shave my hair off every 3rd Saturday of each month.

This happened to me ....it's the most terrible thing that happened in my life this lady explains exactly how you suffer ...you hit the floor and have to drag yourself up by your bootstraps

She maybe bald. But very attractive. Shes so beautiful. ❤

I will do this for indian women because here ppl are so curel if women not have hair

She’s got a nice shaped head and she’s beautiful still.

John Malkovichs voice got high pitched, poor guy....

I was about to die from necrotic intestinal tissue and sepsis. Was a 50/50 chance of dying the next year and half after the emergency surgery. Made jokes about it the whole time. Incision split open once. Slapped some duct tape on it after looking inside my abdomen.... Duct tapes good for a lot huh. Lol.

What type of alopecia? Alopecia just means hair loss. It looks like alopecia universalis. Androgenetic Alopecia is also alopecia - but isn't an autoimmune condition.

You still have eyebrows ?

first

Everyone gets bullied. I would get beat up and my mom wasn't even bald. Johnny Depp's mom had the best advice, grab the biggest rock you can find and......

Omg, there's another tedx just like this by a 16year old. She does the wig thing and all that. I low key think she may have took your idea...😢

I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH JANNICA. FIRST I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF JADA PINKETT WAS DIAGNOSED BY A DOCTOR. TO ME JADA has HAIR on her head. Ppl I know with ALOPECIA head is COMPLETELY BALD and SHOWS NO SIGNS OF HAIR. JADA has hair on her head. I vividly remember when she showed the so-called Alopecia, it was just a LITTLE LINE ON HER CROWN (I AM JUST SAYING) ALOPECIA!! UH UH. Maybe Will is still recuperating from ENTANGLEMENT, and since he couldn't SLAP any of the "PARTIES" involved, he took it out on Chris Rock. P.S. ppl I know with ALOPECIA have ROUND BALLED SPOTS ON THEIR HEADS, where are hers?? I am just saying! Again and again. Alopecia UH uh JANNICA was and is COMPLETELY RIGHT. To me if Jada THOUGHT the little BALD LINE across her crown was Alopecia and she wasn't medically diagnosed, and even if she did, Humans/doctors make mistakes. For me an ALOPECIA HEAD has NO SIGN OF HAIR, it is CLEAN BALD. Hair does NOT GROW THERE. Jada has HAIR ON HER HEAD!! I don't see a BALD SPOT ON HER HEAD. WHAT I CAN SEE IS A VERY NICELY SHAVED HEAD ON SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO GO WITH A LOW HAIR CUT!!

This is ridiculous…suffering?? How about VANITY reality maybe? Get over yourself. There are real people who are suffering, and your crying about hair. You don’t have CANCER.🙄