Tia Mowry was told her natural curls were "distracting" by TV bosses.
Tia Mowry
The 42-year-old actress and her identical twin sister, Tamera - who starred together in the hit sitcom ‘Sister, Sister’ - started straightening their hair in their teens because they were made to feel insecure about their natural tresses at auditions.
Tia told ELLE.com: "When we were younger, it was wonderful being able to wear our natural hair. People were always like, 'Oh, you're so cute. We love your curls.' But as we went into adulthood, you could see that when we became teenagers in the show, we ended up straightening our hair. It was such a pivotal moment in the series because it was also a reflection of what was being pushed as 'beautiful' in society. When I straightened my hair, it damaged my hair and it damaged my natural curls. Again, there were those insecurities. In this business, if I had my hair curly, I was told, 'Can you pull that back?' On auditions, I was told, 'It's distracting.'"
However, Tia's mother Darlene made sure her daughters didn’t let the remarks about their hair set them back.
She continued: "But I thank God that my mom told us, 'Do not allow this business to define you. Do not allow this business to define your happiness. Do not allow this business to define your value.' I believe that's what saved us from falling into the pit of childhood stardom."
Now, Tia is "unapologetic" when it comes to hair and beauty as she has learned to embrace “every part” of her.
She explained: "When you're younger, you have insecurities about who you are and where you stand, but now I'm very unapologetic. I'm like, 'This is who I am. I love every part of me. I love the wrinkles that I have. I love my smile. I love my gray hair. I love every part of who I am.'"
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