Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) is facing what she calls “a moment of transformation not of my choosing.” The Congresswoman says she began noticing her hair falling out last fall. She says in the days that followed she woke to “sinkfuls of hair.”  The Root writes about how the 45-year-old’s hair had come to define her personally and politically:

Her signature Senegalese and bomb twists…have become synonymous with her political brand and made her the hero of little black girls across the country. Now, the congresswoman has decided to go public as to her reason why: She has alopecia.

In a video from The Root (watch above), Pressley says as her hair continued to fall out, she would look in the mirror and see “a person who increasingly felt like a stranger.” Now, Pressley writes that she is starting to come to grips with what has happened, though she admits it’s a long process:

Today, I am sharing my #hairloss journey to create space and to create community for those of us who have had complicated relationships with our hair. This was not easy, but vulnerability rarely is.

For the first time, at the end of the video Pressley reveals her bald head. Many colleagues are applauding the Congresswoman for this brave act. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) wrote:

Could you imagine losing all your hair on the eve of an enormously public day? And then turning that intensely intimate ordeal to make space for others? Ayanna, you are a living blessing.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) adds, “Your courage in sharing your story is what makes you so incredibly special @AyannaPressley. I love you sis.”