It was an infamous on-stage klap, dubbed slaapgate, that had a record number of people googling ‘alopecia’ this year. This is the condition which allegedly led to producer and actress Jada Pinkett Smith deciding to rock a bald look that comedian Chris Rock joked about – resulting in her husband, Will, slapping him onstage at the 2022 Academy Awards. Here at home local actress Gail Mabalane and author Sizakele Mdluli-Chaplin have shared, based on their own personal experiences with alopecia, how suddenly going bald in parts of your scalp can be traumatic. For years, sufferers have struggled with it in silence, choosing either to cover their hair loss with wigs and scarves or choosing to be “sooo brave” and going for the big chop.