Dallas Cowboys cheerleader tells of living with alopecia, dancing on TV without wig

Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Armani Latimer shone brighter than the 15 bedazzled blue stars on her uniform Monday night during the Cowboys’ Monday Night Football matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals at AT&T Stadium.

The “My Cause, My Boots” campaign gives the Cowboys cheerleaders an opportunity to advocate for causes personal to them. Latimer, a fifth-year cheerleader who was diagnosed with alopecia at age 12, dove into vulnerability, deciding to dance without a wig for the first time to amplify her cause: alopecia awareness.

After her diagnosis, Latimer said, she adjusted to a “new normal” by leaning on her family and asking (like many 12-year-old girls), “What would Beyoncé do?”

A constant in her life has been dance, and Latimer has performed on the biggest stages, including with the Miss America organization, the South Carolina Gamecocks’ dance team and now the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

She was taught young that “dance is telling a story.” Latimer spoke with Andscape and ESPN commentator Ari Chambers about the impact of sharing her story publicly.