Lena Waithe uses her style as a form of self-expression.
Lena Waithe
The 33-year-old actress - who won an Emmy for her role in 'Master of None' - has a "certain kind of swag" which comes from her clothing choices.
Because she dresses for herself, Lena doesn't want or need compliments on her look.
In an interview with the April edition of Vanity Fair magazine, Lena explained she is told by admirers that her style is "dope" and "cool", but it's irrelevant to her.
The openly lesbian star said: "Being black and gay, having dreadlocks, having a certain kind of swag, and dressing the way I do. 'That's dope, you're cool'. I don't feel validated by that. I don't want to be white. I don't want to be straight. I don't want to blend in. I try to wear queer designers who happen to be brown and makin' s**t."
In the same interview, Lena talks about helping people in the film and TV industry felt like part of her activism before the #MeToo and Time's Up movements happened.
She said: "I have a ton of mentees [people that I mentor]. They're all people of colour. Some of them are poor. And I'm just trying to help them learn how to be great writers; and for those that have become really good writers, I help them get representation; and those that have representation, I want to help get them jobs. That to me is a form of activism. I was doing this before Time's Up was created. I am doing it now. Activism is me paying for a writer to go to a television-writing class."
Lena is currently starring in Steven Spielberg's new sci-fi blockbuster 'Ready Player One' and has reprised her role as Denise in the Netflix series 'Master of None'.
Tagged in Stephen Spielberg