Amber Riley Talks Body Positivity And Embracing Her 30's
There is a thin line between self-love and weight in the entertainment industry.
However, Amber Riley is not your plus-sized heroine or your body-conscious role-model. By all means, she could be. But that's not her main agenda.
Instead, the actress and singer refuses to be boxed in by way of society's love of labels. Because, like the late Whitney once said, Miss Riley is not just one type of woman, she is every woman: a daughter, sister, lover, counselor, go-getter and friend. And in a day and age where the lines between misrepresentation and inspiration are blurred, Miss Riley wants her influence to be far from limited, and her purpose to be clear. Crystal clear.
We recently had a chance to chat with the ferociously dope and unapologetic star of Glee and The Wiz Live!, and were in awe. Amber went against the new "plus-sized rage" grain and spoke on the not-so-positive side of the "Body Positive" movement, her fears going into turning 30 and her hope for women.
All of us.
Here's what we learned:
Turning 30 was a milestone and a little added pressure
Oh God, I was so depressed for a while. Because as a woman, you always have that "marker," like, you narrated having children and you do have that conversation in your head [about kids] because people do put that pressure on you like, 'You don't have a lot of time.' I got to point where I was just like [to myself], 'Look where you are in life.' What is for you is for you. That is my mantra in life. If things are going to come, they're going to come. I'm not dead, and I don't plan on dying anytime soon.I mean, I keep my age in the back of my mind but I feel like it's okay for me to love my career and love the work that I'm doing. It's okay. I actually had all my friends come over the house and cook for my birthday and then we ate and then my friends played piano and we kind of set up speakers and then played around my house and sang. What's really cool is I actually got to sing for [Faith Evans'] Grammy nomination on my actual birthday. And then she came to my party and sang with me at my party. So I got to sing with her more than once, twice in one week. She's a legend and her voice is crazy! It was unreal. And it was so much fun. And so awesome to bring that in.
[Tweet "Look where you are in life.' What is for you is for you."]
She loved Ebony Magazine's 'Body Brigade,' cover but...
I know all of them. [Chrisette Michele, Danielle Brooks, Jazmine Sullivan, and Gabi Fresh.] I actually talked to Jazmine and face-timed her while she was at the actual shoot and saw what she had on and was like "Alright girl!" (laughs). They looked absolutely amazing.
I'll be so happy when [full-figured women covering magazines] aren't a novelty and they become the norm. They're [just now] sensationalizing being a plus-sized woman as something that is normal, because it is! There are more people who look like me than there are in the magazines. That are unrealistic and unattainable goals of what people feel beautiful body images are. You know?
[Tweet "I'll be so happy when full-figured women covering magazines aren't a novelty..."]
On Feeling Sexier with Age
You mentioned in an Instagram caption being sexy isn't about the clothes you wear, but rather, it's about confidence and how you view yourself. However, you recently took some "sexy" pictures. So, are you feeling sexier these days as you get older and embrace your curves?
Well, when I did the shoot, I talked to Casey [my stylist], who actually was the mind behind the clothing. And Casey is always telling me, 'Your body. I just love your body. And you need to show off these curves!"
In general, when you see me for the most part, I am the most covered up person because I'm like a hippie. I love staple tops and stilettos. It's just who I am. So in these photoshoots, I feel like you're supposed to be playing a character, and pushing the envelope. I figured, if I can be sexy in a full gown and covered up, I can be sexy in a body suit.
So I said you know what? This is my photo shoot. Let's see what they [the stylists] can put together and I'ma take the pictures and if I don't like them, I don't have to show anybody! It's so interesting, I just wanted to be sexy. It wasn't even for like an artistic thing. It wasn't even for like a "body positive" agenda. Even though that's how people took it. I saw the outfits and I just thought they were sexy. And cute and fly and I wanted to wear it. You know what I mean?
She feels her sexiest when....
I feel my sexiest when I'm with my spouse or my boyfriend or whatever, and I'm just in a t-shirt and sweats and he fixes my hair, or he holds my hands- that makes me feel sexy.
Interesting enough, when I finish a book and I start to jot down my notes, and what I learned from it, my intelligence makes me feel sexy, like "I just MURKED this book. I feel so smart right now." I feel really attractive right now. I think different things define sexy and what sexy is.
On why she's not completely down with the "Body Positive" Movement...
There are a couple of problems that I have with the "Body Positive" movement and people behind it. I don't believe that I have to love every single part of myself. There are things about myself that I have difficulty accepting, but it doesn't mean that I hate myself. I love myself as a whole. There are things about myself that I have difficulty accepting because I know I need to get on the ball and get started. It has nothing to do with other people's opinions. It has to do with me. It's self-improvement and things that I feel I have to improve within myself. We can't go around lying like, 'I love myself more than you think and I don't care,' and blah blah blah. No.
I can not stand that when I wear a skirt or a sundress out that I need to wear shorts because my thighs chaff. You know what I mean? So saying that to a girl but then turning around and saying "But I still love myself, I'm still fly!" Like, there are women who are size 2 that have issues with their bodies. I have skinny friends and big friends and they have the same body parts. So it's not that I'm saying "I'm perfect and everything about me is idea." I'm saying that as a whole, my body is not who I am. In general.
"I don't do a lot of interviews or magazines just about my body because that's not "just" who I am."
It is who people identify with- me as a plus size woman in this industry- because people just have to put labels on things. But as a whole, that's not who I am. I'm a writer. I'm somebody's daughter. I'm a comedian. I'm some people's counselor, I'm a therapist. I'm an actor. I'm a singer. I'm a producer sometimes. I'm a business woman. I mean, I am who I am to different people. I won't let people put me in a box. I can't accept or be okay with just "being a body." I can't accept that.
She will not accept stereotypical roles...
I don't go for certain roles. And it may piss my agents off, but I won't just go after roles. I don't think being "plus-sized" is a character; it's not a character. I don't need to "play fat." I don't sit around and talk this way so I'm not going to sit around and talk about my body in this way in a script. The whole world sees what size I am, so there is no need for me to sit and talk about it all the time.
On what she's learned from her friendship with Gabourey Sidibe...
Gabourey Sidibe is on her way to my house now and she is one of my closest friends ever. Gabourey is an inspiration to me and not just because she is a plus-sized woman. She inspires me because she is unapologetically herself in every single setting that she is in. She is authentic. And I have learned, from her, to be authentic, too, and to be me, and to take the roles that I want and to go after the roles that I want. So my authenticity and my resolve in who I am, and how real I am with myself, how I talk to myself, it keeps me from being boxed in. Because I don't see myself the way that they see me. I won't accept the way that you see me. Everything that I've done has been very strategic for my career.
On Why She Chooses the roles that she does...
I'm okay with not having an abundance of work so long as when I do take the job, it means something for my career and it means something to me. It makes it hard sometimes. My agents are probably like 'Ok, so you just said no [again]." I had a manager before that was like, 'You just keep saying no to everything,' because it was not for me! I'm not just going to say "yes" to a role for money aspect or to have something on my resume. The things that people have seen me done, they've been good things. I did a Christmas movie, My One Christmas Wish, we didn't talk about my size at all in that movie. At all. That's not what the movie was about. And I killed that role. My manager was like 'I don't think you should,' but I took it because I needed to show that I can be this size and be a leading lady. And be a love interest and it's believable.
This is what I want I want Hollywood to see me as. You have to tell them who you are. You can't let them tell you who you are, because they have a specific formula for every single type and they will box you in.
[Tweet "You have to tell them who you are. You can't let them tell you who you are!"]
The Difference Between Black Hollywood vs. White Hollywood and Being on Both Sides of the Fence
It's been a very interesting journey for sure. I've seen a whole lot. I've been on a totally different side of things. I was in predominately White Hollywood [before]. I've been the only Black character for a while that was identified as "Black." Naya [Rivera] is Black too of course. But as far as identified, I was the Black character on Glee. Naya's character identified as Latina, which she is also.
I went to a predominately White high school, so I already dealt with prejudice and people's perceptions of who you are, so I've already gone through [stereotyping]. Growing up, I learned to correct people. I've learned to do it in love, because most of it was ignorance. But being in [Glee] it was like family. It was an interesting culture. And the writers left it very open for me to say what I felt about certain things and that was a blessing for me because I got to steer my character in a very positive way. So I've been on that side. And I've been in Black Hollywood. And it's different type of embrace when you're around your own people. It is.
XO: Different as in "better" or different as in "different."
Different as in different. Being in "The Wiz" I had never been part of an all-Black cast like that and there was just something very spiritual about it. We connect in a different way. Especially with everything going on in the social climate right now. The conversations were different. I didn't feel like I had to stop a conversation or not get anything started. Because I'm very passionate. And the cast were extremely knowledgable about what's going in the world where as most people repeat what's on the news. And as we know, most things on the news, are half-truths.
Amber Riley in "The Wiz" as the Good Witch of the North.
Sitting and being able to talk to Queen Latifah, who is my personal idol, it's just different than being on a set with people who don't completely understand your experience as a Black woman. It's just different. It's like the difference between going on vacation and vacationing at home.
She's dating....
Well, you know, I am not a serial dater. I date very selectively. And there is someone I really like right now that I am talking to. But I've just learned to try and keep those things are private as possible. Not even as an actor or a "celebrity" but in general. My friends don't even know who I date, my sister does! (laughs)
On How She Defines Success
There are so many other alternatives for what success looks like nowadays and it's just not a reality for everyone and that can be discouraging, but I don't judge anybody. Live your life how you want to live your life.
[Tweet "I'm learning that everybody's journey is going to be different."]
However, for those who want an alternative approach for this world that we live in, I have something for you too. It took me a long time to get here .... and [sometimes] that's a hard pill to swallow when you think you know everything and then find out you don't! It took me a long time to get here and I'm learning that everybody's journey is going to be different.
Amen! After all, age (and weight) ain't nothing but some numbers. Cheers to moving onwards and upwards! Amber is currently gearing up to star in "Dreams Girls" in West End London this Fall, where she will be staying for the next year. The singer is also working on music in hopes of doing a mini tour by the Summer. Sounds like major "30-something" goals to us!
A modest goddess who keeps it humble between mumbles. I'm a journalism graduate with a HERstory in digital media, print and radio. Roll the credits: Power 96, VH1, xoNecole, EBONY, SOHH. Deemed "Top 20 Women in Media" by Power 105. Bronx made me, Broward raised me.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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You've Never Seen Luke James In A Role Quite Like This
Over the years, we've watched Luke James play countless characters we'd deem sex symbols, movie stars, and even his complicated character in Lena Waithe's The Chi. For the first time in his career, the New Orleans-born actor has taken on a role where his signature good looks take a backseat as he transforms into Edmund in Them: The Scare—a mentally deranged character in the second installment of the horror anthology series that you won't be able to take your eyes off.
Trust us, Edmund will literally make you do a double take.
xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
Courtesy
Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
Getty Images
Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
Featured image by Getty Images