Letter: Alopecia especially difficult for women

Kudos for printing P. Denise Israel's recent letter in response to Chris Rock's insensitive comments directed at Jada Pinkett Smith. I am a 63-year-old woman otherwise very healthy, struggling with alopecia due to an autoimmune disease.

Because of our society, it can be very difficult for a woman to "come out" as bald. Nobody thinks twice when encountering a bald man on the street. However, for a woman, it is a completely different story and can be very difficult emotionally - and this is coming from a woman who has three bald brothers! My dad was bald by the time he was 32; so "bald" was always a non-issue for me growing up. What a difficult and different perspective that I have come to embrace.

Let's all just be a little more sensitive to the feelings of others.

Diane Barnes

Winfield