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Person Asks Why It’s Not Okay To Joke About Women’s Alopecia But Male Baldness Jokes Are Fine

Person Asks Why It’s Not Okay To Joke About Women’s Alopecia But Male Baldness Jokes Are Fine

After the kerfuffle following the Will Smith slap, some have been left scratching their heads over the double-standard.

With all of the fuss made in recent weeks over that joke by Chris Rock which led to that Will Smith slap, some have been left scratching their heads over why jokes about women's alopecia seem to be off-limits but male baldness is not.

If you somehow missed it, Will Smith stormed the stage at the 94th Academy Awards to slap Chris Rock for a joke made about Jada Pinkett-Smith's lack of hair.

Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, Will Smith, Jaden Smith and Trey Smith at the 94th Academy Awards.
Alamy

Pinkett-Smith suffers from alopecia, an illness that causes your hair to fall out and can result in baldness.

It was a shocking reaction and it prompted many people with alopecia to speak out about why bald jokes aren't okay.

However, one person took it the baldness double-standard to Reddit and asked a simple question.

"Why are jokes about alopecia for women considered rude but male pattern baldness is just accepted as a common thing to make fun of?" they said.

Well, the internet came back with a flood of answers.

One person wrote: "For the record, I think most reasonable people would agree it is bad taste to make fun of anyone, period.

Will Smith struck Chris Rock after a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith.
ABC

"But if you want to ask why it's more sensitive for women, it's pretty obvious. Women are expected to have long pretty hair... but very insulting to a man because men are expected to be strong.

"Women are expected to have nice hair hence the sensitivity with baldness. It's not really that hard when you think about it."

A second person pointed out how Will Smith started his career off by 'making fun of Uncle Phil's weight and baldness' on The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air.

Another Reddit user wrote: "I guess it's only funny if you're getting paid for it [and are] not on the receiving end."

A third simply stated: "Making fun of bald men is rude and you should call it out when you see it."

A user even mentioned how there is a section in the Holy Bible (2 Kings 2:23-25 for those who want to look it up) that sees a person mauled to death by two bears because they made a joke about someone who was bald. Yikes, that's fairly intense.

After the Slappening, old footage of a younger Will Smith emerged that showed him mocking a bald man in the early 1990s...so it's safe to assume his attitude has now changed.

If his attitude can change then so can yours.

Featured Image Credit: Jeffrey Mayer / Alamy Stock Photo. Michele Vitucci / Alamy Stock Photo

Topics: News