Why Tracee Ellis Ross Refuses to Live in a ‘Concealer Culture’

You could say it took Tracee Ellis Ross a mere 44 years to find herself.

No, that radiance, that poise, that aura of joy, wasn’t always there.

“The comfort in my skin, the confidence that I have — the sense of self that I have — has been hard-earned. I’m reaping the benefits of that, of hard work. When pain, discomfort, disappointment have occurred for me, instead of using them as something to turn away from and get smaller, I’ve done the work to dive in and ask myself those really difficult questions and sit with and ponder what those answers might be for me,” the actress, who just won a Golden Globe for Best Comedy Actress for the on-point ABC hit Black-ish, tells Yahoo Style.

On the show, she’s a doctor, a mother, and a wife who fervently believes in the goodness in the world, while her husband (Anthony Anderson) struggles more with fitting in and standing out while retaining his ethnic identity. Like her name, Rainbow, Ross’s character gravitates towards the bright side. In person, Ross is equally upbeat. She’s a physical person, hugging and gesturing with abandon. As for her Globe, she keeps that win in perspective.

“It feels like a really fun thing happened. I will say that, at this age, I’m not looking for validation. They’re just really wonderful, rewarding, robust treats in my life. The true gift is that I’m on my third series. My second one that’s running for a while. And that’s a miracle,” says Ross, whose previous show, Girlfriends, ran from 2000 to 2008.

The daughter of Diana Ross has no sense of superiority or untouchability about her. When she was growing up in New York City, “my mother was there for every dropoff and pickup. My mom did not have 10 nannies,” she says.

Nor does she strive to present a front of perfection to the world. Quite the opposite. Her style changes from day to day, going from flowing flowery frocks to relaxed denim to the sleek looks she sports in the new Kenzo campaign.

You want to see her makeup-free? Just check her Instagram.

“We used to live in a concealer culture, and we’re not there anymore,” she says. “There’s the culture of perfection that is this manipulated idea that’s not human. And there’s a beauty that comes from within. I’m drawn to this culture of beauty that’s an authentic expression of who people are. It makes me feel something. I get inspired by anything.”

Now Ross has partnered with Motrin to launch the brand’s #WomanInProgress campaign, educating women to recognize that pain of any kind doesn’t have to be a hindrance, but can be a learning opportunity. When she got hurt emotionally, says Ross, she stopped blocking it out and instead embraced it. That’s growing up.

“It’s not a stopping point, but an opportunity for growth. You ask yourself what pain means to you, what your tolerance is, and what the different kinds of pain are,” she says. “That’s been my relationship to pain in myself. We’re in such a culture of perfection that making space for what life really looks like and feels like is such a helpful thing.”

Plus, she doesn’t have the luxury of taking to her bed for weeks at a time with hot tea and romantic comedies — not when there’s a primetime series to shoot. “They don’t stop production when you have a fever. That’s not the way it works. We don’t get sick days on Black-ish. That stuff has really come into play for me. When I was a track runner at school, I ran races when I didn’t feel well,” she says.

“I can’t do a plié. I don’t drop it like it’s hot. I can go to a dance class on a really bouncy dance floor and not be pounding myself. Epsom salts are my friend. That is the beauty of life. My bath time is such a sacred time for me.”

Ross chronicles sweet moments from her life on Instagram, from her awe-inspiring closet — peep at the Jonathan Saunders dress she wore to the White House — to pics of her shopping with her music-executive dad, Robert Ellis Silberstein, goofing around with her brother Evan Ross, and having arm-wrestling matches with her co-stars.

And she shares her political activism, ranging from support for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren to the Women’s March, in which she took part.

Ross says she keeps her own beauty routine simple and clean: water, sleep, as little sugar as possible, and no booze when she’s shooting. Speaking of which, she hopes her character on Black-ish gives birth soon because that prosthetic belly, made of heavy silicone, is sending her to the chiropractor.

As for loving herself, Ross says it’s still a work in progress.

“Working through my own stuff,” she says. “I’ll say this: the only reason I want you to look in my direction is if it inspires you to want to be you. Truly. The most discomfort I’ve had in my life is trying to be someone I’m not. It’s been the hardest part of my journey and also the most rewarding. I did have a lot of discomfort in my skin. I did think I was supposed to look a certain way.”

So has it sunk in that she’s a Golden Globe winner, a fashion tastemaker, and the co-star of a hit show? The answer is vintage Ross, and obliquely references the idea that women — as when Jerry Lewis professed his disdain for female comedians in 2000 at a comedy festival — just can’t find the funny in anything. Never mind such quick wits as the late, great Carrie Fisher and Nora Ephron, or Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and Melissa McCarthy, with her deadly Sean Spicer turns on Saturday Night Live.

“Women are not funny,” she says. “It’s been an uphill battle to just even put myself in a position to think I might be able to be on a comedy. It’s hard to even say. Women are not that smart. And we can’t handle a lot. It’s so hard! And that’s why it’s so crazy to have that on TV because I don’t know any women who are doctors, mothers, and wives. What?!?!?! And they’re funny! And they can get themselves dressed. It’s a miracle. You’re crazy. Don’t be crazy. She’s crazy, this one.”

Wait, so she’s saying she can co-headline a show and put on her own makeup?

“No, she doesn’t!” pipes in a voice from the next room. It belongs to Ross’s makeup artist, Matin Maulawizada.

“See, I even need men to do my hair and makeup. I’m such a woman. I can’t even do that by myself,” deadpans Ross.

And scene.

Related:
‘Star Wars!’ From Daisy Ridley to Kate Middleton, the Best of the BAFTAs
Drew Barrymore Wants to Age Naturally, but She Will ‘Throw Down for a Face Cream’
Meryl Streep Slams Trump in New Speech; Calls Herself ‘Overrated’
Proud Feminist Padma Lakshmi on Taking Her Daughter to the Women’s March

Let’s keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Style + Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.