Tracee Ellis Ross Fronts ELLE’s New “State Of Black Beauty” Issue, Some Say “This Cover Should’ve Went To Someone Else” - Page 7

Source: David Crotty / Getty ELLE Magazine recently unveiled their inaugural State of Black Beauty issue, and the cover star is none other than Tracee Ellis Ross. She’s interviewed by friend and fellow actress Kerry Washington about her beauty brand Pattern, not being afraid to be vocal about what she wants and needs as a Black woman, and Black girl magic, of course. It’s a really insightful read, and it makes sense that she would be the focus for a feature like this. She has been open about learning to embrace her curls, people stan her mane, and she is the mastermind behind her own hair care line in Pattern. But there are some people who have said that for an inaugural issue on Black beauty, she doesn’t necessarily represent the struggles and hair of the average Black woman. Some have brought up the fact that she is biracial. Others have said that having multiple Black women of different looks and backgrounds could have been the better place to start. She certainly has a softer hair texture, a type that has gained a great deal of visibility and acceptance over the last few years; nevertheless, that doesn’t mean her journey with her hair or her contributions to Black hair care as a prominent face in Hollywood is one that can’t be understood or appreciated. She certainly sends the message that Black women as a whole have been revolutionizing natural hair for much longer than when the mainstream started to show it love, and that she’s been inspired by so many. She doesn’t try to hog up the conversation by centering herself. “I have a real love of texture. Those with tighter textures have given me the courage to embrace and love what grows out of my head. I always remind people, we’ve been here doing this forever. This is not some new phenomenon,” she said. “Braids are not new. Cornrows are not new. Twists are not new. Bantu knots are not new. If our hair could talk, it would tell you of our legacy. Black beauty is timeless and holds such a story that I am so grateful to be a part of, and to continue allowing it to unfold through me. Black women and our hair have been at the center of social, cultural, political, and economic revolutions and movements through time. We hold so much power in our beauty. Our beauty is filled with love and joy and an emotional intelligence that reaches into spaces that allow us to connect with each other in such sacred ways.” Still, per the usual, people had varying thoughts about Ellis-Ross being the point person for Black beauty. Check out what some had to say by hitting the flip. Digital strategist Leslie Mac says there is nothing innovative about having someone who looks like Tracee Ellis Ross speak on Black beauty. In fact, she says she’s tired of it.