When I was a kid, I thought growing boobs would make me a grown-up. After that happened, I thought wearing heels and putting on makeup would make me feel like an adult. Today, as a 27-year-old woman with a whole lot more learning to do, I've discovered that it's not my breasts or my accessories that validate my identity as a grown-ass woman, and that's big facts.
Despite popular belief, I did not wake up like this. Underneath all of the bundles I've bought and the countless pairs of shoes I've purchased, I need prayer, positive affirmations, and meditation to help me become the best version of myself, and in a recent interview with Harper's Bazaar Arabia,Yara Shahidi said that she could totally relate.
According to the 20-year-old mogul-in-the making, your level of confidence is like a muscle––you have to use it to make it stronger. She explained:
"I'd be lying if I said I always had this level of confidence. It's something that, as I've grown up, I've had to be reminded of. I think this is a universal experience for many people, regardless of your intersection of identity."
The Grown-ish star, who has expressed her struggle with imposter syndrome in the past, said that although it is normal to struggle with feelings of self-doubt, it's important to remember that if you're in the room, you deserve to be there.
"Oftentimes you're not in the majority and therefore it feels like, are you really supposed to be here? It doesn't matter how qualified you are, or how many things you've done to get there. It's something that I need to be reminded of daily!"
In a previous interview with Elite Daily, Yara expressed that true confidence comes from being comfortable in your own skin and secure in your own feelings, even when you're placed in an uncomfortable environment:
"Confidence, for a lot of people, comes from being able to be comfortable in the space that you exist in, being able to be comfortable in the space that you take up. And oftentimes it's a highly political thing, whether people have made space for you or not, which is why internal confidence and self-assuredness, as well as a support network to tell you you are worthy of the space, is so important.
"I realized at times I'll be mad at myself for feeling angry, or I'll get sad because I am sad. But I'll be angry at myself for feeling these other emotions. A lot of [my self-care] is through reading because through learning about other people's stories, I realize this is just a natural human process. And rather than saying that it is blocking me from growing, I allow it to kind of just help with my growth."
To read Yara's full interview on Harper's Bazaar Arabia,click here!
Featured image via Yara Shahidi/Instagram