We couldn’t help but gush over the recent cover of InStyle, where a natural makeup, untouched chocolate skin, and beautifully coiled Viola Davis graced the covers. It was an amazing sight to behold, marveling at the beauty and richness of skin we all come in!
Born into extreme poverty as a child, the Californian-born, Rhode Island-raised thespian would later go on to pursue her theatrical gifts in college and beyond, joining the Julliard School and later the Actor Screens Guild; however, she would not truly receive her accolades until 2001, where she would win a Tony Award for her portrayal of Tonya in King Hedley II.
After graduating from the Julliard School in 1993, Ms. Davis began her career on stage and later transitioned into film, her performance as Mrs. Miller in Doubt (alongside Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams) earning her several nominations including a Golden Globe, SAG Award and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. However, many of us knew her as Aibileen from The Help, where she won a SAG award and surely catapulted her career forward.
Now we know her as our Thursday-night stealer, as we sit glued to the T.V. waiting to see how Annalise Keating will get out of another obstacle in How To Get Away With Murder. Aside from it just being an all-around amazing show, it surely proved at this year’s Emmys: Viola Davis became the first African-American woman, as well as the first black woman of any nationality, to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. In her beautiful interview with InStyle magazine this month, she so eloquently said, “I am happy that our writers challenged the previous limitations of what has been written for women of color and created someone interesting, sexual, dynamic, bold.”
Not only do we care about Fashion over at Fashion Bomb Daily, but we care about people making a difference one conversation at a time. In 2012 she was named one of Time’s “100 Most Influential People In The World”, a year just after the adoption of her beautiful daughter, Genesis. Many of us may remember Genesis, who in leiu of fairy princess outfits or ballerina getups for Halloween, dressed up as Davis after her Emmy win.
Whether it’s discussing the convoluted perception of how Black women are seen in the media (“You can not win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there”), the joys and challenges of being a mom, or the challenges of victims such as her own sister to sexual abuse, Viola Davis is a woman who uses her social influence and voice to speak out and speak for those who may otherwise never be heard.
I think Ms. Davis teaches us all to love the skin we are in, be fearless in our endeavors and forever unapologetic in our quest to get there. That’s why she’s our Beauty Crush Wednesday! Is she yours?
