Tia Mowry-Hardrict grew up before our eyes with her sister Tamera Mowry-Housley and recently spoke with Elle magazine about her confidence and how Hollywood tried to make them insecure. The former star of “The Game” explained that her Black hair was called a hindrance and caused a few problems during her and her sister’s auditions.
Tia recalled, “When we were younger, it was wonderful being able to wear our natural hair. People were always like, ‘Oh, you’re so cute. We love your curls.’ But as we went into adulthood, you could see that when we became teenagers in the show, we ended up straightening our hair. It was such a pivotal moment in the series because it was also a reflection of what was being pushed as ‘beautiful’ in society. When I straightened my hair, it damaged my hair and it damaged my natural curls. Again, there were those insecurities. In this business, if I had my hair curly, I was told, ‘Can you pull that back?’ On auditions, I was told, ‘It’s distracting.’ ”
We’ve seen Mowry-Hardrict flex her strength when she co-hosted “The Real” for seven years and she also revealed that the inner strength comes from her mother Darlene. Instilling confidence in her girls, Tia further explained, “But I thank God that my mom told us, ‘Do not allow this business to define you. Do not allow this business to define your happiness. Do not allow this business to define your value.’ I believe that’s what saved us from falling into the pit of childhood stardom.”
The “Sister, Sister” co-star is firmly confident in her adult looks these days too and hopes to inspire young girls to have that same positive self-esteem as well. She also told the beauty publication, “When you’re younger, you have insecurities about who you are and where you stand, but now I’m very unapologetic. I’m like, ‘This is who I am. I love every part of me. I love the wrinkles that I have. I love my smile. I love my gray hair. I love every part of who I am.’ “
