Article taken from InStyle.
The actresstake on beauty is truly like a breath of fresh air.
After spending anearly afternoon chatting withViola Davisin Los Angeles, I came to one conclusion: This woman is an absolute treat.
In the car back to the hotel, I couldnt stop thinking about how she had profoundly changed my views on getting older, and what that meansfor the way my physical features would change with time. Like most, the thought of looking different one day scares me a little bit. But according to the actress,getting older isnt something younger women should fear its something she sayswe shouldembrace.Ive always been someone who loves faces, Davistells me. I love when faces tell a story, when faces grow into themselves and become comfortable and authentic.
As an ambassador ofLOral Paris Age Perfectline, it makes sense that the 54-year-old actress is so passionate about the topic, as well as the specially formulated products in the collection. Because while theres no question that the cosmetics industry has largely pushed older women to the wayside when it comes to imagery, many products were also not crafted with mature skin in mind.
The collectionsRadiant Serum Foundation with SPF 50, for example, comes in 30 shades and ispacked with vitamin B3 and a hydrating serum to quench dry skin, a common concern for older women. It also boasts a radiant finish and a lightweight formula that does not settle into lines. Similarly, theLuminous Hydrating Lipstick + Nourishing Serumoffers comparable benefits. Formulated with nourishing serum and pro vitamin B5, this product gives you nine hours of hydration and wontfeather into lines around the lips.
Theyve made something just for us to accentuate the things in us that are absolutely beautiful, Davis says. People always mention all the negative things about aging, they never mention that sort of beautiful thing that happens when you grow into your skin. Very few people celebrate it, and I see LOral celebrate it.
Makeup aside, Davis general take on beautyis like a breath of fresh air. And luckily, she opened up to me about everything from why Black women embrace getting older, to her favorite Annalise Keating hairstyle, and what she tells her daughter about being beautiful.
Whats one product from the line you incorporate into your daily routine? What do you like most about it?
I like theCell Renewal Golden Face Serum I love serums. I do that in the morning when I cleanse. You dont have to use a lot for it to cover your skin, and I love when my skin glows. I feel like thats an accessory.
Generally speaking, theres an idea that with agewomen become less physically beautiful. But I think theres been a shift to the public seeing mature women as more refined. Have you noticed Hollywood embracing this change?
I can honestly say that I agree with that and Im not just sort of blowing smoke up ones tush. I think to the outward eye, yes absolutely. I think whats happening more is that women are embracing it, so they are controlling more of the narrative of what they want to see in Hollywood. Women dont feel like theyve fallen off the map in terms of viability once they reach a certain age. Even in terms of their work, and what they feel like they can do.
For Black women specifically, we tend to embrace aging and often look up to our elders. Why do you think theres that distinction for us?
I think from probably the dawn of day, we have had to redefine ourselves for ourselves. I dont think that we have been able to define ourselves in terms of what the standard is because we havent been included in that standard. I think that when youre left up to your own device, when you have to define you, you have to define your beauty and your strengths and your value, I think thats what you come up with. You know, Im good with being 167 [pounds] at 57. Im good with my dark skin, with my nose. You make peace with your hue, because you have to. Necessity is the mother of invention.
Did you have any beauty insecurities as a teenager?
My nose. My lips. My hair. My weight everything. I was like, God, lets just start over. Let me just tell you exactly what to do!
If you could go back and tell your teenage self one thing about beauty, what would it be?
That youre perfect. Thats what I would tell myself. Every single day, I would wake up with that mantra, I would go to bed with that mantra. I never even thought that was an option. I thought that there was a factory that was out there that there were Barbie dolls coming out of it, and if you werent that one Barbie doll then you werent even on the radar. It didnt even occur to me that I was created with a perfect palette.
How has your idea of whats beautiful changed throughout the years?
I think its a series of moments that happen in ones life where you become untethered by the world. I got married, I got older, I became a mother, and all of a sudden I have to teach my child about whats beautiful, while teaching myself in the meantime. My husband looks at me and thinks Im beautiful. As I got older, I started to realize that there are so many other values in life that I never focused on. My authenticity, my voice, my strength, my humor, my vulnerability. Once I embraced it, it sort of transformed me like a wonder woman. It just gradually happened.
What do you teach your daughter about beauty?
Its a constant mantra: Your heart and your brain are the most important parts of you. And she says it too. I dont know if shes so interested in how she looks shes nine and, you know, eats pizza and sugar.
Whats one past beauty look youd repeat both for yourself, and Annalise?
My Afro. And I cant believe it, too. Sometimes my hairstylistJamika [Wilson] hairstylist extraordinaire will come to me and say, You wanna wear your hair today? and Ill be like, Yeah! I love that, lets do that. And before, once again, never thought it was an option. That was never on the table of beauty kinky hair. There was something about playing Annalise that literally played a pivotal part in me finding myself in a way.
What was it about thecharacter that made such an impact on how you view yourself?
I started seeing myself differently. She was a leading lady that many people felt that I was not made [to portray.] Theres something about stepping out and doing something that you dont think is a possibility. You know the saying, If your dreams dont scare you, theyre not big enough? Thats what it was. She was the adjectives that no one associated with me. She was complicated and sexual shes a leading lady. And people saw me as the woman who wears the apron, maybe cusses someone out for one scene and then Im gone. So if I have to make audiences believe that I can become Annalise, then I have to become Annalise. I had to use everything that was in me, and it released me of a lot of fears. It also introduced people to the fact that Black women can be complicated. I want to be anything I want to be as a Black woman, even if shes not strong, even if shes not nurturing all those things that you attribute to being a Black woman of a certain age.