DELAWARE - It started with a joke and a slap. On Sunday night during the Oscars, Will Smith took offense to Chris Rock making jokes about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith's, shaved head. On Monday, a former Miss Delaware from Sussex County says Chris Rock's joke was a slap in the face to people living with alopecia, or hair loss. Miss Delaware 2010, Kayla Martell, suffers from that same auto-immune disease as Pinkett-Smith.
"Jada I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it!" said Chris Rock, shortly before Will Smith took the stage and hit him.
It was the slap heard round the world, and a joke that didn't land well with Jada Pinkett Smith.
"When he said it, I was unaffected by G.I. Jane, at all, and then I saw her face and was like oh it affected her though, and that's what really what matters ... I think the saddest thing was it was an opportunity to create awareness, and it's almost been lost because of the story of the two men," said Martell.
Martell suffers from alopecia areata, and started losing her hair over 20 years ago at the age of 11.
"I started noticing there was a bald spot in a perfect circular shape at the top of my head ... I covered it up for several weeks without anyone noticing, but I'm a dancer and I was going to ballet class every night so trying to pull my hair back in a bun gradually became more and more difficult to the point I couldn't hide it any longer," said Martell.
She says her platform was all about the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, and is still raising awareness to this day. The alopecia community is also mourning the loss of 12-year-old Rio Allred from Indiana, who committed suicide.
"Just like myself and like Jada Pinkett Smith, Rio went to school everyday without wearing her wig and was just so brave, and ultimately she was bullied to the point that there was no other option. As a community this is a really difficult time for this to happen just last night. In the midst of all of that, we are feeling exceptionally vulnerable and really hurt by it," said Martell.
Martell says it's so important to know you are not alone, and encourages young girls and women to find people they can connect and talk with about alopecia.
Martell says organizations like Children with Hair Loss, the National Alopecia Project, and the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, are all helpful for those struggling with the disease. She says it's also important to see a dermatologist or primary care physician if you are showing signs of hair loss.