Image via Allure
Jessica Williams is poppin’. I don’t to tell y’all that though. From her work on “The Daily Show” to her podcast, “2 Dope Queens” to her burgeoning acting career. (She’s amazing in this film People, Places Things with Regina Hall. by the way.) And we’ll get to see even more of her on Netflix’s new series, “The Incredible Jessica James.”
Despite her undeniable awesomeness, Jessica is still a human being. And like many of us, she didn’t always recognize her worth. In an interview with Allure, the renaissance woman spoke about messages from the media and feeling inadequate as a child, days when she feels positive and not so positive about herself and why she stays in braids.
Check out the highlights below.
On being down on herself as a kid…
“You know in the old Barbie advertisements they would play with the white Barbie first? And the black girls played with the black Barbie. And in the final shot, it would be the white Barbie with the black Barbie behind her. I picked up on those subtle things, and unfortunately I internalized them.”
On learning to accept herself…
“The more I learned about womanism and feminism, the more I learned to accept myself. As soon as I learned to do that, it was like, Everything about me is valid. Every curve is valid. My skin is valid. My melanin is valid. And not only is it valid; it’s beautiful—it’s to be cherished.”
Image via Allure
On her relationship with herself…
“Some days I struggle with it. Others I’m the baddest bitch on the planet. I think that’s a realistic way to look at a relationship with yourself, allowing room for days that aren’t as positive as the others. Boxing really turns my day around. I walk out like, Hell yeah, I’m dope. I could take on the world.”
Why she always wears braids.
“Growing up, my mom and my sister, who loved to get their hair done, would always give me a hard time about not getting mine done. But I don’t like hurting.… I ended up living in braids. It was the ’90s — thin braids were very popular — and my mom took me to a lady’s kitchen. I got it done, and I’ve never stopped. Now my natural hair is who I am. I have lots of braids, and I have lots of twists, but it’s all very low maintenance. I feel like I can get up and go and get out of the house. I just don’t have it in me to get my hair done all the time.”
You can read Jessica’s full interview with Allure, here.
The post Jessica Williams Talks Learning To Accept Herself + Why She Always Wears Braids appeared first on MadameNoire.