Angela Bassett Has This Message For People Who Think She Looks "So Young"
Is it me, or does Angela Bassett still look the same as she did in 1993?
The phrase "age ain't nothin' but a number" may have been coined by Aaliyah, but truly comes to life in the form of Angela Bassett. Women are like wine, as we grow older, we become more of a commodity; a fact that is especially true for this timeless actress, who recently sat down with Allure magazine and revealed that she is damn tired of everyone telling her that she looks young for her age.
Allure
In the interview, she even recounted a time when a woman in Whole Foods told her that she looked "so young", to which she replied:
"Hearing that is a wonderful thing — seeing as I'm 80!'"
She explained that although she's flattered that she can keep the public wondering how she's snatched our wigs for decades with her ageless beauty and immaculate physique, ageism has become a major factor in her career. She explained:
"As we advance, 60 is the new 40, or 70 is the new 50. It keeps getting pushed. But you have to keep the stress down and the attitude hot."
Thanks to our social media-centric generation, Angela gets to test these standards in her career everyday. In season 3 of American Horror Story, the actress plays an immortal voodoo queen and proves to the world that black don't crack, literally. She shared:
"Yeah, black don't crack. I appreciate that about Ryan Murphy's work, the stories he's interested in telling. He has a brave voice; he's outspoken. [Coven] was a gumbo of social and feminist issues — femininity and womanhood, also ageism and racism, provocative and topical. It was a really powerful season. What it gives you, the actor, is filet mignon, when you've been used to Twinkies."
Although Angela's former work may have been twinkies in her opinion, they were ones that we ate right up. From How Stella Got Her Groove Back to Tina Turner in What's Love Gotta Do With It, Angela Bassett has proven to be one hell of an actress and even more of an icon.
In the 2016 elections, Angela worked with Hillary Clinton's campaign to garner the democratic vote. Her work, by her own definition, is the true definition of real feminism.
Angela's revealed that the road to her spectacular career started at an HBCU and landed her at Yale, where she would ultimately meet the love of her life. Thanks to her mother's high expectations and her undeniable talent, the young actress found herself with two degrees and a life full of potential ahead of her.
"Looking at these pamphlets, these white kids sitting on the grassy knoll with their books… There was no idea at that point that [my mother and I] would go around to these campuses and speak to the kid. You're going to college. Soon as you graduate, you're outta here. Pick any college and go. Lo and behold, got into Howard — thought that's where I'm going. A historically black college, Washington, D.C. Then Yale! You don't get into Yale every day, and my mama is freaking out on the sofa over there. And I only have to take out a loan for 1,200 bucks."
Recently, Angela returned to Yale to accept an honorary doctorate in fine arts, and revealed that it was a surreal experience that brought on a whirlwind of nostalgia.
"It was great to go back to that campus. Those corridors. It comes rushing back, that feeling of being 18 and meeting new folk from around the world, negotiating stuff you never saw before. The food. What is this called — London broil? I'd never been around so many choices in my life. And who are all these people? What is Exeter? Oh, your daddy's a what? Senator, doctor, lawyer. My mother is a data processor for Health and Human Services. Welfare. But I'm here. On financial aid. Doing theater."
Angela has proven to the world that a little black girl from Harlem can grow up to be the Mother of Wakanda, a Yale Graduate, or even an Oscar-winning voodoo queen if she works hard enough. In the interview, she also recalled the time she thought about giving up. She said:
"I said, 'Oh, Uncle Charles, I was supposed to be out here for only six months, but I'm working,'. And he said, 'Baby, don't get off a winning horse.'"
Angela is proof that age doesn't matter when your hustle is timeless, and is a reminder to stop telling women they look young for their age. No matter where we lie on the spectrum of age, we slay.
Click here to read the full interview.
Featured image by Getty Images
Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
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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Another season of Love Is Blind has come to a close, and almost two months later we’re still unpacking the drama that is Clay and AD. The finale, reunion, and post-interviews with Clay and AD after season six of Love Is Blind left millions of people wondering - why couldn’t AD see the signs? Clay told her he had a fear of marriage, his parents experienced infidelity, and he seemed to have many doubts about saying, "I do."
After changing his mind at the altar and hearing AD question why she feels like she’s never enough, I was finished watching. I didn’t need to hear anything else because, at that moment, I realized this wasn’t about Clay; this was about AD feeling inadequate before she ever met Clay.
If I’m honest, I don’t watch much dating television. TikTok keeps me updated with the clips that I need to see in order to be kept in the loop, but it’s difficult for me to watch an entire season of dating TV because seeing Black women settle for less and questioning their beauty is a trigger for me. In many ways, there were points in my life where I was AD, settling and ignoring red flags because I wanted to be loved.
Now, on the other side, it doesn’t feel good to see Black women lower their standards on national television. There have been many hot takes on this couple and who was in the wrong. Did Clay play in AD’s face or did she not listen to the truth of what he told her from day one? Was his reason for joining the show to promote his business and not to find the one?
We’ll never know the truth, but what we can do is learn tactics to better our self-worth. Founder and CEO of The Self Love Organization Denise Francis shared her expertise with xoNecole on what tangible steps to take to improve feelings of worthiness. “Self-love blooms in a garden where self-worth is planted, nourished, and whole. However, when your self-worth is challenged, displaced, or broken, it could be difficult to rebuild," Denise explains.
How To Rebuild Self-Worth
During her self-love coaching sessions, Denise likes to walk her clients through the cornerstones of rebuilding self-worth: grace and self-compassion. To her, self-worth is never lost, it's only displaced, so practicing self-compassion and giving yourself grace is a must. "We tend to place our self-worth in entities and people of ourselves such as relationship status, physical appearance, material possessions, social media followings, what others think of us, and more. Self-worth is not something to be measured by anyone or anything outside of ourselves because we all innately hold value and worth.
"Self-worth is not something to be measured by anyone or anything outside of ourselves because we all innately hold value and worth."
"When we place our value into people or things, we tend to feel that we are not enough, worth it, special, or important when relationship status, job titles, friendships, and physical appearances are lost or changed. We then tend to feel lost within ourselves because we’ve placed our value outside of ourselves. Using grace and compassion, you can rebuild your self-worth by returning home to who you are at your core," she concludes.
How To Return Home To Yourself
Denise advises taking a step back and using self-reflection through journaling by answering the following journaling prompts:
First, ask yourself, "What do you tend to attach your self-worth to and why?"
Is it your relationships, your job title, your finances, your appearance, etc.? Why do you think you place so much emphasis on external status? How does it make you feel when you are defining yourself through these entities and/or people outside of yourself?
Then, ask yourself, "Without these things, who am I?"
Once you have your answers, show yourself kindness, remove the shame, and, as Denise says, "Redefine yourself by detaching your value from the things and people you have no control over and no longer serve you. Challenge yourself to define yourself outside of titles and societal values."
"By returning home to your core, you find value in who you are as a person. You begin to find value in the way you love instead of your relationship status, your compassion instead of your popularity, your drive instead of your income/job title, and your heart instead of your physical appearance," she adds.
"By returning home to your core, you find value in who you are as a person."
"Be intentional with healing your self-worth by leaning into the people and things that nourish your core values. Surround yourself with the people who love and cherish you, they will always remind you just how valuable you truly are."
It all goes back to self-compassion and grace. As Denise explains, leading with those two things as you heal and rebuild your self-worth allows you to reduce negative self-talk that might come up for you. "This weakens thoughts like, 'I am not enough... why am I never enough?'" she shares, "And 'I don't deserve this while strengthening thoughts like 'I deserve better,' 'I am enough,' and 'I am worth it.'"
Denise continues, "Once you return home and remember the irreplaceable person you are, you can rebuild your self-worth by placing it back where it belongs. It belongs to you."
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Featured image by LaylaBird/Getty Images