Violet Affleck is making a stand! The 18-year-old is regularly photographed in public wearing a face covering, and now she's revealed why.
Rather than wearing a mask to protect her privacy, as the oldest daughter of Hollywood stars Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, Violet shared news that she battled a secret health crisis.
The teen gave a powerful speech, that can be viewed below, to the LA County Board of Supervisors during which she explained she had contracted a "post-viral condition" in 2019.
She said she "saw first-hand that medicine doesn't always have answers to the consequences of even minor viruses."
Violet was confident as she stood up and introduced herself. "Hi, Violet Affleck, Los Angeles resident, first time voter, I'm 18," she said.
While she confessed: "I'm okay now," she explained how during the COVID-19 pandemic she fell ill.
She had a list of demands to "confront the long COVID crisis," including mask availability, and air filtration. She also demanded Far-UVC light in facilities such as jails and detention centres.
Violet only had a short time to get her point across as she raced through her requests and opposed mask bans, insisting banning them only makes "vulnerable members our community less safe."
She spoke of the "devastating neurological, cardiovascular illness," resulting from infections from long COVID.
According to Mayo Clinic a post-COVID condition "occurs months after COVID-19 infection and involves fatigue, postexertional malaise, dyspnea, memory loss, diffuse pain, and orthostasis. The medical, psychosocial, and economic impact of PCC is immense."
It continued: "In the United States, PCC has caused widespread unemployment and billions in lost wages."
Violet was praised on social media for her being "courageous," and speaking her mind. Many said they couldn't wait to see what her future held and branded her "bold."
Her famous parents will, no doubt, have been incredibly proud of their adult daughter who clearly has a bright future ahead of her.
While she hasn't revealed what she'll be studying, Violet is headed to college after the summer and is expected to attend Yale.
When she recently graduated from high school, Jennifer confessed she was immensely proud, even if she was nervous in the run up to the milestone.
"I was a wreck the whole month leading up to it," she revealed during an appearance on Today. "Every awards ceremony, every final, everything, I just cried and cried at everything.
"Then, the day of (graduation) was so happy that there was nothing to be other than just so proud and happy."
While touring colleges and planning her future education, Jennifer said Violet took it all in her stride .
"She's handling it like a champ, she's in control and I'm not having to ask her are 'you doing this or are you doing that?'.
"It is exciting. I can see the stress, but stress and excitement go hand in hand."
Celebrities with Long COVID
Numerous celebrities have come forward to speak about their battle with Long COVID since the pandemic including but not limited to those below.
Gwyneth Paltrow — The actress caught COVID-19 "early on," but reportedly battled Long COVID-19 symptoms in April 2021 and in March 2023 she was still suffering, realign she was dealing with "chronic stuff."
Lena Dunham — After contracting the virus in March 2020, Lena still had Long COVID symptoms six months later.
Salma Hayek — The Magic Mike actress revealed she almost died from COVID-19 telling Variety: "My doctor begged me to go to the hospital because it was so bad. I said, 'No, thank you. I'd rather die at home.'" Salma had lingering symptoms for months which made her incredibly fatigued.
Alyssa Milano — Alyssa was hospitalized with COVID-19 in April 2020. Two years later she was still suffering and has been identified as a "long-hauler."
Billie Eilish — Billie had long-lasting side effects after catching COVID-19 in August 2021. While she made a recovery insisting she was "fine," she confessed to having "side effects" months later.
Dave Navarro - The musician identifies as a "long-hauler" too after catching COVID-19 in December 2021 and still deals with symptoms.