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Published 18:01 IST, February 12th 2021

Tia Mowry opens up on how hair straightening on 'Sister, Sister' made her insecure

Tia Mowry has opened up about how she and her sister felt insecure about their hair. This story also helped her understand Hollywood's beauty standards.

Reported by: Tanvi Dhote
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Tia Mowry has opened about her time a child star in Hollywood. The Game actor in a recent open letter in a fashion magazine, reflected on the time she and her sister Tamera Mowry ended up straightening their hair on the show and how it impacted their self-esteem. Find out more details about this story below.

Tia Mowry opens up about struggling in Hollywood back in the 90s

Actors and crew members of colour have struggled for a long time in Hollywood. But over the years, brown and black actors have been seen and have even headlined several shows and films. Now Tia Mowry, in an open letter in Elle magazine has spoken about her hair struggles in Hollywood and how it affected her and her sister’s self-esteem.

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In the letter, Tia revealed that she and her sister felt wonderful to be able to wear their natural hair on their hit 90’s show Sister, Sister. She added that people used to compliment she and her sister Tamera Mowry over their natural curls. But as their show progressed into adulthood and their characters became teenagers the sisters ended up straightening their hair. Tia Mowry deemed this incident as a “pivotal moment” on the show since it reflected what the society considers “beautiful”.

Furthermore, the Sister, Sister cast member revealed that the straightening damaged her hair and its natural curls. This damage added to her insecurities. Mowry talked about audition incidents where she was asked to pull back her hair as she was told it was “distracting”. In the letter, Tia Mowry reflected on how their mother’s words helped combat their insecurities.

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Their mother told them to not let the show business define them and their happiness. She also credited her mother for not letting them fall into the “pit of childhood stardom”. Tia concluded the letter by expressing what Black beauty means to her. She revealed that Black beauty is in being “unapologetic” and “strong”. She also noticed how many Black women are pushing back against stereotypes and is happy that it is creating more acceptance against these pre-existing beauty standards.

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Updated 18:01 IST, February 12th 2021

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