This pivotal moment changed Saayeng’s relationship with her hair, which began with the difficult lack of representation and global acceptance of afro hair to losing it all without having the choice.

“I really didn’t appreciate my hair until it fell out,” Saayeng tells Stylist. “I’d give anything to just have that back no matter how tough or curly or dry or whatever it was. I think that has been the biggest lesson, just appreciating what you have along with the reality that none of this was a choice.”

The actor’s journey with alopecia has coincided with her rising stardom, which began as a young musical theatre student at The Brit School of Performing Arts and the London Studio Centre and has since seen her star in a variety of theatre and film productions from The Color Purple and Death of a Salesman to TV drama Cursed and her latest role in sci-fi drama Raised By Wolves.

“During lockdown, I was lucky enough to get the audition for Raised By Wolves,” says Saayeng. “I did a self-tape which I sent off and it was successful. Once I got the part I just loved that the world was so different to anything I’d seen before and one of the immediate thoughts I had was that I can play this role bald and that my look is perfect for this world.”

“What much of society believes to be beautiful isn’t really in line with bald Black women”: Jennifer Saayeng on her alopecia journey and the importance of representation