La La Anthony is joining a slew of other actresses, singers, and otherwise famous folks in revealing something that might be considered a bit embarrassing about herself. La La Anthony is going public about the fact that she has psoriasis.
La La Anthony is partnering with the National Psoriasis Foundation for their Picture Positivity campaign. The writer, actress and wife of NBA player Carmelo Anthony says of her decision to reveal her condition to the public, “I’m all about trying to help others out there and giving the best advice based on my experiences — so if I can continue to do that, I’m really happy.”
La La Anthony has written two books, The Power Playbook and its predecessor The Love Playbook. But this is the first time she has gone into such detail about her struggle with psoriasis.
never was a big fan of lala anthony until i read a little bit of her book so today i went and bought both of her books..
— Helga G. Pataki (@8o8heartbreaks) September 23, 2015
“About 10 years ago is when I first noticed it, and I didn’t know what it was,” La La says. “I had it really bad in my scalp and behind my ears, but my scalp is where I suffer from it the worst.”
“I’ve had this for a long time and I’ve still been able to go on and I’ve still been able to do all these amazing things, and I’ve never let psoriasis get in the way of any of that,” Anthony says. “You don’t have to be ashamed, you don’t have to hide in the closet because of it, you can still live life and do amazing things, which is what the Picture Positivity campaign is all about.”
Anthony now has a role as a series regular on A&E’s Unforgettable. She tells how her look for that role has to consider the effects of her psoriasis.
“I have my hair slicked all the way back for the TV show I’m shooting; while it’s part of my character, it’s also because my scalp has a bit of a flare-up now, so just by slicking it back it covers everything up,” she reveals.
Such techniques to cover the flare-ups have become part of how La La and other people deal with the condition.
“I started to use my clothing, whether it’s hats or long sleeves or pants — or when it breaks out on my scalp I’ll do my hair a certain way, like pulled back in a ponytail,” she says.
La La Anthony joins Cyndi Lauper and Kim Kardashian in coming out about her condition. She credits Kim Kardashian, particularly, with helping her get over her feelings of shame about her psoriasis.
“The thing I’ve taken from [Kim] is not to be afraid of it, not to be ashamed of it,” she says. “It’s something that we have; it doesn’t make us any less human, or weird or freaky. It’s about being open with what we have and being open with other people who are suffering from the same thing. If I was to take anything from her it would be that: to not be ashamed of it.”
.@lala Anthony opens up about her struggle with psoriasis http://t.co/rGOQ9YEenx #PicturePositivity pic.twitter.com/nHapHizVXj
— People magazine (@people) September 22, 2015