Gabrielle Union has never been one to mince words so it should come as no surprise that she keeps it real at home too. According to Refinery 59, the famed actress recently revealed an interesting lesson she shared with her two stepsons Zaire and Zion, and her husband Dwyane Wade’s nephew, Dahveon. Since the boys are fast approaching the dating age, the actress was intrigued to see the type of girls her young men were interested in. When the boys pointed out a few girls on Instagram, the Breaking In actress immediately noticed a trend she felt compelled to address. The discussion she had with the boys led to an interesting lesson on colorism.
The Instagram Revelation:
Gabrielle revealed all three boys had similar preferences when it came to the physical features they liked in girls. “Literally, probably about 10 girls I looked at had the same light skin, curly hair, tiny waist, butt, boobs — it was the same girl over and over again,” she said. This observation led to an interesting question. She immediately wanted to know why all the girls they liked looked similar and why was there no variety; namely girls of a darker hue. “So I asked them to show me the most beautiful chocolate sister they’ve seen. They say there are none. I was like, ‘Why do they get exed out so fast? What is happening in your brain that is causing you to look at these women through a prism that is distorting their actual selves?'”
Forging on, Gabrielle felt compelled to maker point. She revealed she ventured to Ryan Destiny’s Instagram page. Ironically, Ryan is the same upcoming star many fans have compared to Gabrielle. Surprisingly, the boys found Ryan to be very attractive despite her complexion. So, Gabrielle pulled up a few more beautiful chocolate sisters. She used the examples to prove her point.
“They’re like, ‘Oh, she bad!’ But do you know how many Ryan Destinies there are? I pull up every Black model, women from all over the world, and they’re beautiful. But they don’t see the beauty unless it comes from an actress or a supermodel or a video vixen. They have to have somebody else tell them that a chocolate woman is attractive for them to believe it.”
The Struggle with Diversity:
By now, most fans know diversity is something that’s plagued many talented black actresses for years. Women of a darker hue often have a harder time getting the exposure and recognition they deserve in Hollywood despite their talent. It’s a daunting issue Gabrielle Union has been very vocal about over the years. “To me, diversity is the seat at a table that is super tiny,” she says. “Inclusion is letting you on the block and at the house — much less at the table.” Union’s dream for the future of the beauty industry? “Looking around where the welcome mat has been rolled out, and it’s a wide-ass welcome mat big enough for tables and chairs for everybody. Where every community is widely celebrated, and you’re actually fucking listening to people when they’re speaking and [letting them] tell their own stories.”
Fans everywhere have commended Gabrielle for sharing the lesson with her boys. Many insist it’s a vital topic that should be addressed at an early age.
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https://twitter.com/MasonPress4/status/1017895478254546944
https://twitter.com/BLKFOX007/status/1017845109109477378
Props to Gabrielle Union on this one.
