Beyond being known for her timeless contributions to television, cinema and hair care, as well as being the daughter of living legend Diana Ross, Tracee Ellis Ross has offered the world so much wisdom.
The knowledge she’s garnered in her 51 years of womanhood is enough to feast on for generations. While society often questions a single woman’s worth and demands she be in partnership in order to be valued, Ross singlehandedly embodies the miracle of living life joy first. From her interviews to her panels, here are five times a Tracee Ellis Ross quote has stopped us in our tracks and awakened something beautiful.
On Self-Acceptance
“I grew up on the ragged edge of self-acceptance, where I was holding on to it, but it was easy to fall off. But as I found my way inside myself, I’ve been able to accept my own hair, my own shape.”
Pattern, Ross’ successful line of inclusive hair care, was born out of the desire to see a world in which women lived loudly in their natural state. That desire was a result of Ross’ very own journey through self-acceptance, and as she sets her curls free as a radical act of self-celebration, she gives every woman watching her permission to do the same.
“I hope they look at me and think, ‘That lady looks like she accepts herself.’”
This quote is particularly special because it’s a dream she’s certainly realized. Tracee Ellis Ross is so loved because her confidence is both magnetic and infectious, very clearly derivative of consistent positive affirmation. She loves who she is and sees no use in diluting her spark. It’s a reminder for everyone who gets to witness her that they deserve to take up space, too.
On Personal Growth
“I am learning every day to allow the space between where I am and where I want to be to inspire me and not terrify me. The more I am myself, the more my life looks like me. I try to make choices that match the very quiet voice inside myself.”
When you’re single, you have a lot more space, time and energy to self-explore. In doing that, you build a tight bond with your authenticity. It can become almost painful to not live as your true self. As you make more and more choices that honor that inner voice, you’ll find yourself surrounded by the relationships and circumstances that are the most loving and aligned.
On Womanhood
“Here is my wish and my desire and my pledge as well: that we remember our true nature and our womanhood. That we own and know that we are more than our bodies and yet our bodies are these sacred, beautiful, rhythmic houses for us.”
When you’re climbing a corporate ladder, trapped in body image scrutiny or desperate partnership, you can easily get disconnected from your true essence and unconditional power. It’s human and inevitable, but this quote is a reminder that you get to choose to come back home to the truth: your body is beautiful, your beauty is within and your potential is limitless.
On Partnership
“There are so few women who hold the space of robust abundant lives that are not in context to a man. I grew up dreaming of my wedding, not of my life. I spent many years waiting to be chosen; I’m the chooser. My life is mine.”
Whew, anyone else feel seen? In stereotypical heterosexual dynamics, it’s easy to live in performance for the male gaze, in hopes of being worthy enough to not only be chosen but to be committed to. However, it’s in the miraculousness of solitude that one can finally find enough quiet to come home. It’s so powerful when you realize that your life is a story you get to write, and that your energy is a limitless currency you get to decide where to spend. Living a single life full of hobbies and creative fertility, sisterhood and beauty, the significance of a man only matters when it enhances a life that’s already brilliant.