DALLAS Cowboys Cheerleader Armani Latimer has shone the spotlight on her battle with alopecia, as she danced at Monday night’s opener against the Bengals.
The US cheerleading troupe are currently the subject of a Netflix documentary series: America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.
The show follows ‘America’s Sweethearts,’ who are the National Football League cheerleading squad, for the Dallas Cowboys Team-through the rigorous selection process, to the training camp and then to the NFL season.
Footage of Armani Latimer preparing for the game and then her on pitch performance, was shared on the Dallas Cowboy social media pages and has since gone viral, as the dancer is praised for raising awareness of the hair loss condition.
In the video the 23-year-old is shown getting ready backstage- wearing the team’s trademark blue and white uniform and cowboy boots-with with her fellow cheerleaders, who are putting on a show of support.
One of them said, “You’ve got this.”
Another of the girls said: “We’re so proud that you’re doing this and you’re representing a lot of little girls out there.”
Meanwhile a number of fans praised her decision to bring visibility to the condition.
One person said: “For a team that very much values a specific look, I find this to be so refreshing, beautiful and inclusive. That gorgeous smile speaks louder than any hair ever could.”
Another person said: “This will never NOT bring me to tears!! You are incredibly beautiful, brave, and an inspiration to everyone around you! I’m so proud of you and all that you are! @ac_latimer YOU are the definition of America’s Sweetheart.”
And one of her team mates, Reece Christinee said: “It is truly one of the greatest honours to be your team mate.”
The dancer who was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition when she was 12 years old, opened up in an interview to Woman’s Health magazine.
She said: “When I was 11 years old—my mother unraveled my braid and noticed something shocking: a bald spot.”
“She was concerned that it had happened during the braiding process, but she also knew my father had struggled with hair loss, so she took me to see a dermatologist.”
“At age 12, I was officially diagnosed me with alopecia areata, a condition that causes my immune system to attack my hair follicles, resulting in occasional bald spots that seemed to become bigger with stress.”
The cheerleader told how throughout high school, she took great pains to hide her affliction, she said:
““I went through high school without telling anyone I even had alopecia. But once I got to college, stress caused more hair loss; loss that took much longer to grow back.”
The performer confesed that having the condition was “hard to navigate.” In her early cheer leading days, she’d wear sew in weaves, but then her hair completely fell out, so she was forced to switch to wigs.”
She admitted that her total hair loss, took a toll on her mental health and affected her performance.
“It was such a tumultuous time that I was only able to give about 50 percent of my effort. Some people picked up on the fact that I was more withdrawn and not my bubbly self, and having teammates that I could sit and cry with about what I was going through was healing.”
But Armani praised her teammates for their unwavering support.
She said: “Overall, my team and my family helped me maintain a positive mindset. I wouldn’t be anywhere without my support system.”
The star spoke out as part of the Dallas Cowboys: My Cause my boots campaign, which encourages cheerleaders to raise awareness of charity’s and causes that need greater visibility.
The docu-series has a been a runaway success for Netflix after it premiered last June, spending four weeks in the streaming giants top the English language series.
Now a second season has been commissioned, which will follow the squad through the 2024 to 2025 campaign, amid the trials and tribulations of the football team, the Dallas Cowboys.
Alopecia is a major cause of hair loss for women and men. There are different alopecia types which can cause anything from hair thinning to total hair loss.
Most people know alopecia to be a form of hair loss. However, what they don’t always know is that there are three main types of the condition – alopecia areata, alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis.
Alopecia areata is a common cause of non-scarring (does not cause scarring to the scalp) hair loss that can occur at any age. It usually causes small, coin-sized, round patches of baldness on the scalp, although hair elsewhere such as the beard, eyebrows, eyelashes, body and limbs can be affected. In some people larger areas are affected and occasionally it can involve the whole scalp (alopecia totalis) or even the entire body and scalp (alopecia universalis).
It is not possible to predict how much hair will be lost. Regrowth of hair in typical alopecia areata is usual over a period of months or sometimes years, but cannot be guaranteed. The chances of the hair regrowing are better if less hair is lost at the beginning. Most people, with only a few small patches get full regrowth within a year. If more than half the hair is lost then the chances of a full recovery are not good.
The hair sometimes regrows white, at least in the first instance. Most people get further attacks of alopecia areata. In alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis, the likelihood of total regrowth is less.
