Dilworth resident speaks about alopecia awareness in wake of Oscars incident

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Lindsay Walter, a Dilworth resident, has lived with alopecia since she was two years old. Walter said that because of the hair loss condition she’s lived most of her life without hair.

She spoke to WBTV in an interview Monday night, explaining that growing up with alopecia came with challenges.

“Kids are super-cruel and I also was very just insecure and I let people bully me when they would make comments, call me a boy, make comments about how my wig didn’t look quite like real hair or not having eyebrows and eyelashes,” said Walter.

As an adult, Walter has opened up about living with alopecia. She even writes letters to children and teens living with the condition. She calls the pen pal program Lindsay’s Little Pals.

“I know it just would have meant the world to me just to have a pen pal and a mentor to talk to and share experiences with, just because for me, my biggest thing was always that I felt no one ever really knew what I was going through,” explained the Dilworth resident.

Walter said that after Sunday night’s Oscar’s incident involving Will Smith and Chris Rock, several people reached out to her.

Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, who has alopecia, was the butt of one of Chris Rock’s jokes. The comedian, who was hosting the show, referenced Pinkett-Smith’s lack of hair, suggesting she’d star in a G.I. Jane sequel.

Walter said she didn’t find Rock’s joke funny.

“Jada has been so open and honest about her struggles with alopecia and her hair loss and like yes, as a comedian, it is your job to make jokes, but I think there are some things that just shouldn’t be joked about, especially something that you’ve vocalized a huge struggle with,” elaborated Walter.

She said she feels Will Smith handled the situation poorly too, and her hope now is that this incident will lead to more people being properly educated about alopecia.

“Obviously it shouldn’t have happened the way it did, but I think the opportunity to talk about alopecia, to bring awareness to it, I think is so important and so needed again because often times when people see a bald head they assume it’s something else, but now people would have heard the words alopecia and they’ll be educated and know more about it,” said Walter.