Inspiring women of colour all over the world. Viola Davis is a force to reckon with. The first black actor to wear the acting triple crown winning an Oscar, Tony as well as an Emmy award.
Now, Viola Davis has landed a new role as the newest face of L’Oréal Paris. She joins a renowned high-profile women including; Courteney Cox, Vanessa Williams, Helen Mirren, Celine Dion and also Jane Fonda. All of whom are above the age of 50 and surpass the unreal standards of what a beauty ambassador should look like.
“As a young girl, I wasn’t always told that I was smart, beautiful or worthy. I worked tremendously hard to get where I am today – overcoming feelings of doubt to become a woman who truly believes I am ‘worth it’ in every way. I believe it’s so important to build confidence in women from a young age, and to role model diverse perspectives of beauty. To now be a part of a brand that has been championing women’s worth for more than 40 years and to use my voice to help empower others is truly surreal,”
L’Oréal’s New Mission
Embracing every woman is “worth it,” no matter her age.
54 years old, actress and activist Viola Davis announced the news on Instagram – “The self affirming words of, ‘Because I’m worth it’ have always given me chill bumps. What a joy it will be to not just say them over and over again…but to spread the message of worth to women around the world. It is a gift.”
She added in her interview; the pressure in acting to conform to Hollywood’s “classic” (read: stale, singular, Eurocentric) definition of “pretty.” “Earlier in my career when I was much more affected, [conforming] almost felt like prerequisite to success, which is crazy if you think about it—what do looks have to do with acting ability?” she said. “In order to succeed, you had to meet these impossible standards.
“Now, I am much more secure in who I am, but there was a time that I did feel those pressures and succumb to them to a degree.”
She also pointed to her role as Annalise Keating on HTGAWM. (Who wasn’t originally written to be a black woman) as proof of Hollywood is evolving. “To have been a part of that shift is so powerful and humbling,” she said.
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