America’s Sweethearts always put on a dynamic performance at AT&T Stadium.
Last Monday night included a standout moment for one member of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders team.
Armani Latimer stole the spotlight on Monday night in the Lone Star State. The outstanding cheerleader, who has alopecia, proudly performed without a wig for the first time at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, as the Cowboys faced off against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football.
For Armani Latimer, it was a performance both vulnerable and liberating, but also years in the making.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
“Going out on a football field without a wig, cheering in front of 80,000 people, just looking back at the young lady who was sitting in front of her mirror crying because she didn't have any hair left on her head,” said Latimer. “I tend to get emotional thinking about that journey, but I honestly sitting here today looking back at it, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.”
The night also involved recognizing causes near and dear to each DCC member's heart, according to the organization.
The 5-year DCC veteran opted to publicly embrace her journey with alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss. According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, the disease affects as many as 6.7 million people in the U.S. alone.
Blue Star
The center of the Dallas Cowboys universe.
The condition causes the temporary or permanent loss of hair on the scalp and elsewhere on the body, often appearing in patches.
Latimer, of Anderson, South Carolina, says she was diagnosed with alopecia areata at age 12, after noticing hair loss during a family cruise.
She remembers her mother undoing her braids at the end of the day only to come away with some of the girl’s hair and discover a bald spot on her head.
The disease can be hereditary. Latimer’s father also has the condition.
It can also be affected by stress.
Latimer’s hair loss became more pronounced during high school and college.
“That's when I started to gain more bald spots,” she said. “They were becoming larger in size, growing back at a slower rate.”
Latimer was a member of the University of South Carolina’s dance team and went on to make the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader team.
“With the stressful process of training camp and just wanting to make the team so bad, I started to notice the hair loss again,” she recalls. “Coming back and coming out in chunks.”
Like many women living with alopecia, Latimer wore ‘sew-ins’ or wigs after wearing her hair in short curls.
Her experience with hair loss culminated in her second season on the team during a makeover session.
“The wig that I had sewn into my hair just slid off my head and the last little bit of hair that I did have, it was just all sitting inside the wig,” she recalls. “That was kind of a traumatic experience.”
She managed to turn that traumatic experience into a journey to embrace her beautiful baldness, with the help and support of her faith, family and team.
She never forgets she was made ‘in His image’ and is therefore perfect just as she is.
She slowly moved toward leaving home without a wig or head scarf, leading to her decision to perform without a wig for the first time during last Monday’s home game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The game also served as the DCC’s annual ‘My Cause, My Boots’ campaign raising awareness about causes close to each member’s heart.
“I had that conversation with Kelli Finglass, our director, and she immediately said: if you're comfortable with it, then I love the idea of you doing that,” said Latimer. “It was the most beautiful moment that God could have created honestly.”
Latimer says the response since last Monday has been "immensely positive," and has thankfully not seen any negative comments.
When asked if she has made a decision about whether to continue to perform without a wig, Latimer said she wants to ensure Monday’s game remains unique so she will likely wear wigs for the rest of the season.
But if anything happens to her hairpiece, she is prepared to perform in all her natural beauty.
She hopes other ‘little Armanis’ are inspired by someone who looks like them and knows exactly what they’re going through.
“I hope it brings such healing to those who have had to struggle on their own,” she said.
“Know that you can make a difference. You can stand out on whatever platform you have, have the conversation, be the first, be the second, be the third. Let's just keep the ball rolling.”
