Beauty in Many Forms

Some women I have come to crush on. Hard.

Tracee Ellis Ross is the epitome of a woman comfortable in her own skin. She’s taught me to embrace my hair, my breasts and to be completely comfortable with what I bring to the table. I’m a big fan of Girlfriends, and her quirky personality continues to shine through in the form of her blog. In my head, we are friends.

Besides being my older sister, Sanaa Lathan is such a classy woman. I’ve loved her in all the roles she’s played in (especially Love & Basketball, one of my favorite rewatchable movies) and to me, she’s still very underrated.

Tamia also falls under the category of underrated. She seems like a diva who put her family before her career, and has been happily married to Grant Hill for many  years. Watching one of her latest videos, Beautiful Surprise, makes me think “I want that body after kids!”

Jada is a woman who juggles parenting, fame and her career well. I love her acting, I love to hear her passion against human trafficking and I especially love to hear her speak Spanish!

Jilly from Philly is an inspiration on so many levels! She’s a poet, a mother, a singer, a writer and her music is always filled with so much raw emotion. Her music always meets me at my point of need! Here’s one of my favorite songs: I am here.

Lisa Bonet is effortlessly beautiful. That’s all.

Sade’s music makes me feel beautiful, sensual and worth more than gold.

I loved her in Slumdog Millionaire. Freida Selena Pinto, has a humble aura about her. I want to see her in more movies.

Lianne La Havas. The buttery voice, the cocoa butter skin tone. Can’t get enough.

Who makes your Top 3 list of most beautiful women, most importantly, why?!

Friends with Tracee

I don’t usually visit too many celebrity websites or websites reporting the latest gossip about celebrities. For me, I’d rather read about extraordinary things happening in the life of ordinary people like me. That’s why I dig personal blogs, and people who dedicate a lot of time into sharing a piece of themselves. Celebrities who have websites usually loose that personal touch on their sites, that’s why when Queen Bee (better known as Beyonce) came out with her Tumblr page I really liked the fact that she posted personal pictures and hand wrote posts. Handwriting is a unique stamp because it can’t be falsified, unlike a blog post which can be written by anyone hired. But I never wanted to be any celebrities friend as much as I want to be friends with Tracee Ellis Ross. A big fan of the quirky romantic she played as Joan Clayton on Girlfriends, I always thought there was much of herself in Joan because she played her so well. When she wore her nerdy glasses at home, I saw myself. When she fell in love with her male best friend, that was me too! But not only have I followed her on Girlfriends, I love the woman she is when the camera is off as well.

Recently she launched her website Tracee Ellis Ross.com. And it’s all her, broken up into Pages such as Hair & Beauty, Well-Being, Style, Inspiration and Tracee. Her videos with no makeup, her knowledge, her thoughts and her silly, human loveable self. Who am I currently obsessed with? Tracee! I have not perused her site as much I’d like. But as someone whom I admire as a fashion icon, a beautiful soul and a down-to-earth woman, I know I won’t be disappointed.

On her site there’s a post entitled “A Culture Confused by Fake Boobs” in which she addresses her love of her boobs, saggy and all. She answers why she doesn’t wear bras, not even in most of her pictures, and celebrates the natural movements and sexiness of the boobie! She doesn’t necessarily knock those women who chose another road; she’s just not about that life.

I found out a couple of months ago that I had been wearing a B cup when I was indeed a C cup, and have been for a while. What a difference a new bra makes! I think we need more voices like Tracee’s to remind us that there’s nothing wrong with embracing what we got, in light of the culture we live in where little girls and women don’t think what they have is enough. It took me a long time (READ: well into adulthood) to embrace my body and be comfortable in my own skin.

“Let’s also remember that we all come in different shapes and sizes, and that beauty cannot be defined by a single category. And let’s remember that the drop and movement of a natural breast is wonderfully sexy.” -Tracee Ellis Ross

On another note, Tracee, where do I sign up for a butt like that?! Haha. Half kidding.

What do you think of Ms. Ross?

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