Gabrielle Union is raising her daughters to be "proud of their Blackness and Afrocentric features".
Gabrielle Union
The 'Being Mary Jane' star - who is relaunching her Flawless by Gabrielle Union haircare company on Amazon next month - felt like the odd one out when she was at school as the only black person in her class.
And it has taken her some time to learn to love her own natural locks and she wants Kaavia, 20 months - whom she has with husband Dwayne Wade - and her stepdaughter, Zaya, 13, to "celebrate" their natural hair but also feel like they can chop and change their tresses however they wish, because it's their "own personal choice".
She said: "Some days Kav will hand you her brush and she'll want a little afro puff. And some days she just wants to wake up and go.
"And Zaya went from pink hair to blonde. If you want to switch it up every day, great. What you do with your hair is your own personal choice. For me, the focus is on healthy hair, not on what you do with it."
Gabrielle explained that "more folks are going to lean into really celebrating how we are, naturally, because it's all dope and amazing and beautiful and there's no one right way or wrong way to exist."
The 47-year-old actress says learning to love your "blackness and Afrocentric features" starts with "self-love".
She said: "Your hair is a part of you and it's an extension of you, but it has to start with self-love and pride in your Blackness and Afrocentric features, whether that be your hair, your nose, your lips or your body."
The 'L.A.'s Finest' star also spoke about how ridiculous it is when she's called out on social media when she posts pictures of Kaavia with her natural, untouched curls.
She added to People: "I'll see comments and people are like, 'Why is her hair never done?' And I'm like, 'She is a year and a half.' I don't want to give her a complex about what is an acceptable style."
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