Jurnee Smollett On Embracing Her Natural Beauty

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

Jurnee Smollett, an actress whose occupation is to “become” different characters, posted this quote on her social media page. Known for roles in “Eve’s Bayou”, “Roll Bounce” and starring alongside Denzel Washington in “The Great Debaters”, Smollett – like many Black women – knows all too well the profound truth this statement holds, working in an industry with extreme pressure to be, act and look a certain way to be more accepted. With that pressure comes many people sacrificing some of who they are in order to assimilate to the “norms,” but the talented star has managed to hold live in the spotlight au naturale.

During a previous Emmy Awards interview, Smollett was asked if her hair was natural and if so, what products does she use. Her response was, “I’m natural. I’ve never done a perm. I’ve always heard that they’re damaging, but I don’t know, I’ve never tried it. Maybe it’s for me in the future? I don’t know. As far as products, I adore Carol’s Daughter… I use a lot of different things.”

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As far as her actual regimen, she went on to say, “I like to keep my hair moisturized, so I try lots of different conditioners. My hair can get dry especially in the LA weather. Maintenance is easy. I do my hair myself. For work and events, I just blow it out, curl it and go. I’m not the girl that likes a lot of maintenance. On my off days I wear it natural, big and wild.”

With the pressure that society pushes on women to look beautiful at any cost, it can be nerve wracking for some women to face the public completely natural. Jurnee says that the pressures are even greater in Hollywood to look, sound and act a certain way. The opinions of others (including those of other women) on how a woman should look typically involves some version of makeup and “done-up” hair. Conversely, on September 28th, Smollet posted a picture on Facebook of her face without any makeup (might I add, she is still stunning). There on the Internet, the picture will remain forever.

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The courageous act received thousands of likes. Her reasoning for baring it all was, “I think I started using it [makeup] as a crutch cuz I’ve struggled with acne my entire life. Although it’s manageable now, sometimes I’m still fighting off that inner voice telling me that my skin is awful. So I decided to accept the challenge from @proactiv and post a #trueselfie, one without makeup (and no red lipstick ), shine and all to show myself that I love the skin I was born in.”

Check out more of Jurnee’s hair journey here.