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Viola Davis is confident and happy her self-worth is built upon factors outside of the beauty standards other people value.
For the December/January issue of Harper’s Bazaar, The Woman King actress opened up about how her self-worth has been impacted by others’ hurtful comments about her appearance.
“The worst thing that anyone has ever said to me is constantly telling me that I’m not pretty,” Viola Davis said in a clip of the outlet’s Life Lessons series.
“Even though, I’m good, I really am,” she affirmed, adding, “I feel very confident with myself.“
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“But when you say that to someone, I don’t think that people understand how hurtful it is,” the actress continued. “And how not important it is. When you say that to someone, the unspoken word is that you’re not worthy — because people put a value on prettiness and beauty. So if you don’t have, it it’s like you have no value.”
Viola Davis On Beauty and Colorism In Hollywood
During this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Davis said being told she’s not beautiful or light-skinned enough to score leading roles in romantic comedies really gets on her “d*mn nerves.”
“A lot of it is based in race. It really is,” the actress said on being snubbed for certain roles. “Let’s be honest. If I had my same features and I were five shades lighter, it would just be a little bit different. And if I had blonde hair, blue eyes and even a wide nose, it would be even a little bit different than what it is now. We could talk about colorism, we could talk about race. It pisses me off, and it has broken my heart — on a number of projects, which I won’t name.”
Read more below.
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