US Congresswoman Ayanna Pressely lauded for publicly revealing her baldness

US congresswoman and Democrat leader Ayanna Pressely in a brave move has revealed that she is completely bald. In a video posted on her official Instagram page on Thursday, Pressley revealed that she suffers from alopecia and narrated her struggle with the hair loss condition that reportedly affects one-third of women of African descent.

"Personal and political"

The video opens with Pressely stating that it's her "official public revealing" and goes on to articulate how her "black hair story is both personal and political." She says her waist-long 'Senegalese twist' had come to become a symbol of representation and power for young African-American girls.

Ms Pressley adds "My twists had become such a synonymous and conflated part of not only my personal identity and how I show up in the world, but my political brand. That's why I think it's important that I'm transparent about this new normal, and living with alopecia."

Later in the video, Ayanna Pressely takes off her wig -- acknowledging her baldness in public for the first time. After the video was published, messages of support lauding the Congresswoman's courage flooded the comment section. The video has been viewed over  2.8 million times on Twitter and 151,576 times on Instagram. 

Watch the empowering video here:

Social Media Applauds 

Ayanna Pressley was highly appreciated for sharing her deeply personal story and putting alopecia on the table of black woman representation debate. According to the US-based National Alopecia Areata Foundation, about 6.8 million people in the US are believed to have alopecia but it's hardly mentioned in public discourses. 

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US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted her support and appreciation for Ayanna Pressley's bold move. Ocasio-Cortez called a Pressley "a living blessing" and urged people to watch the video. 

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Ayanna Pressley and 'The Squad'

Ayanna Pressley is a popular face in the American national politics and one of the four progressive Democratic Congresswomen of colour who are known to slam Trump administration time and again for its questionable policies.

Ayanna Pressley, along with Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib, is a part of 'The Squad' and risen in American national politics as an icon for the progressive young black woman's voice.