Since she was five, actress and singer Naturi Naughton was seen as a girl who loves music. During that age, she was able to participate in their church’s choir activities. Years after, she and her friends Adrienne Bailon and Kiely Williams gained famed after forming a band called 3LW.
Fast forward, Naturi has successful transitioned to a formidable actress with roles in movies, film and Broadway. Her most recent role on the hit show "Power" is getting a lot of attention where she plays a confident wife who sometimes has to use her feminine charm to get what she wants. Something that Naturi had to struggle with.
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"Our bodies is something we have to feel good about," explains Naughton. "If you feel good about who you are and if you love your skin, height, hair, knees--whatever it is--it shows. We as women have to be secure in who we are."
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She goes on to say, "I'm learning so much about what it means to be secure in who you are. I know there are some days and moments where you don't feel as pretty or secure and I know it's a struggle. But you have to dig deep. Make sure you love who you are."
“I think there’s always this cycle that happens when you’re a black woman in Hollywood, and it can be frustrating because you start to feel like you’re just a fad. Like, ‘oh, now the dark skin, beautiful, brown chocolate sistas are in’… and praising Lupita, which is beautiful. But she was beautiful five years ago,” Naughton admitted during an interview with Vlad TV.
“And it’s hard, because you start to feel like, ‘well, wait a minute. What’s wrong with my features, my complexion, my body type?’ And I just try to tell other black women — not just in Hollywood, just in general – you don’t have to compromise or change yourself to try fit into whatever mold is popular. That is frustrating,” she continued before explaining the importance of her position as an actress.
“And I’m not even gonna lie, it’s emotional. I go through moments when I’m like, ‘I can’t take it.’ But at the same time, I’m working and I’m in a position where I’m able to be a black woman that’s toted as beautiful…I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. And I just wish Hollywood would stay consistent.”
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One thing you can't deny about Naturi is not only her beauty and skin tone, but her fit body as well. When asked about how she keeps her curves just right, Naturi keeps it simple, but effective.
“I believe in doing everything in moderation and making sure that I was eating right and...
...taking care of my body."
She added, “I work out and go to the gym, but I still enjoy my soul food and snacks. But I’m a pretty petite young woman, and make sure that I just keep everything together.”
Something that Naturi is also passionate about is her community. Upon learning the stats on HIV/AIDS in the Black community, Naturi decided to do something about it.
"I was really moved by what I learned because I didn’t realize how many people were affected, especially in my community, by HIV/AIDS. Knowing how the Greater Than AIDS campaign can bring awareness among young people and young women–and being a young African American woman–I realized this could be me. And if I don’t care, who will?"
"My deciding moment to get tested was when I was in college. I was in my freshman year at Seton Hall University, and I was growing up and becoming a woman, realizing how to really take care of myself. And this is one of the things, as women, we have to do. I decided that I wasn’t going to take any risks. I didn’t want to be in doubt, and I didn’t want to live without knowing my status. Those are the moments when you have to take control of your life, because I want to live."
