The internet has long been overflowing with people eager to insult and attack. Present times are no different. But Rep. Ayanna Pressley had a succinct, and hilarious, response to one nasty comment sent about her on Wednesday.
Rapper Common shared a beautiful quote from her on his Twitter page, highlighting comments she made about poverty.
"'Poverty is not naturally occurring; it is a policy choice.' Rep. Ayanna Pressley," Common wrote.
"Poverty is not naturally occurring; it is a policy choice." Rep. Ayanna Pressley. pic.twitter.com/qwp3oMgw6R
— COMMON (@common) February 10, 2021
The relatively anodyne quote provoked a lot of negative responses from conservative media outlets, according to The Hill.
But one commenter went after Pressley for not changing her hairstyle. In January 2020, Pressley told The Root that she had alopecia and had reached a point where she no longer wanted to hide the fact that she was bald.
"My twists have become such a synonymous and a conflated part of not only my personal identity and how I show up in the world but my political brand. And that's why I think it's important that I'm transparent about this new normal and living with alopecia," she told the news outlet.
A commenter on Common's post wrote, "She could at least wear a weave. I can’t…"
She could at least wear a weave. I can’t… ????????
— Crys Meph (@juve_pete) February 10, 2021
Pressley responded with just one word and a photo of herself.
"Nope!" she wrote.
Nope! pic.twitter.com/Tr8DAfC2pJ
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) February 11, 2021
She later joked that she was preparing for an audition for the next Black Panther film as a member of the famed Dora Milaje.
"I know y'all think I'm just replying to a cruel troll mocking me for not, ‘wearing a weave’ but this is really my soft appeal to be cast in Black Panther sequels as a #DoraMilaje Cc #RyanCoogler @DanaiGurira @shauneywood @sydelle_noel
#AlopeciaStrong," she wrote.
I know y'all think I'm just replying to a cruel troll mocking me for not, "wearing a weave" but this is really my soft appeal to be cast in Black Panther sequels as a #DoraMilaje Cc #RyanCoogler
@DanaiGurira
@shauneywood
@sydelle_noel
#AlopeciaStrong— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) February 11, 2021
There were hundreds of comments commending Pressley for being so open about her alopecia and not allowing negative comments to shape her perception of herself.
Beautiful. I'm also #livingtheboldbeautifulalopecialife My daughter designs my head. https://t.co/PXATNkoWAX
pic.twitter.com/SDGBjhMrZO— Read_Eybooks ???? Wade-InPublishing (@Read_EyBooks) February 11, 2021
Over the last year, Pressley has been open about her condition and has embraced the bald look despite the insults.
As a Black woman, the personal is political. My hair story is no exception. Sharing a very personal story today to create space for others: https://t.co/1sh11Q1Qp2
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) January 16, 2020
"As a Black woman, the personal is political. My hair story is no exception," she wrote on Twitter.
