Viola Davis says women should stop using hair to destroy one another
By Britt L
In this month’s issue of Essence Magazine, 48-year-old Oscar-nominated actress Viola Davis reassures all Black women of the world that beauty is only skin deep. The stunningly gorgeous Davis graced the cover of Essence sporting a natural pinned up pompadour and flawless makeup.
Davis is featured in the pages of the magazine talking about motherhood, keeping things positive with her husband Julius and the joys of marriage. Davis also mentions her adopted daughter, Genesis in the interview.
Viola admitted to Essence that she was often called ugly when she was younger, which led her to have self-esteem issues as she grew older. Viola’s mother also suffered from low self esteem.
Viola says that she loves her husband, who is a devout Christian and took Viola to church on their first date, and that he is supportive of her natural beauty. Davis took the advice of her husband to no longer wear wigs while she wasn’t on set during her work.
When she spoke about hair in America, Viola stated that she thinks the U.S. pays too much attention to hair and it’s unfair that people will judge a mother based on how her child’s hair looks.
Here’s an excerpt of Viola’s interview talking about the connection between hair and her daughter:
On Teaching Her Daughter to Love Her Hair
There’s not one woman in America who does not care about her hair. But we give it way too much value. We deprive ourselves of things, we use it to destroy each other, we’ll look at a child and judge a mother and her sense of motherhood by the way the child’s hair looks. I am not going to traumatize my child about her hair. I want her to love her hair.”
