Category: Self Worth & Esteem

David Arquette

DAVID ARQUETTE

“I had dyslexia, and it was really hard for me to read. I would always think, ‘I’m so dumb’, and I just started beating myself up and being really self-critical. Life isn’t easy. And I’m definitely not invincible. But I learned to love myself and now it’s so much easier to feel at peace.” People Magazine

Dove Cameron

DOVE CAMERON

“When I was younger, the idea of being a role model made me so painfully self-aware. I couldn’t explore who I was because I was so focused on being everyone’s idea of me. But I decided to give myself permission to be human. You go through fire, and you come out different but alive. I’ve gone through so many things, but I’m so much less afraid of life because of them. I cut my hair like a boy and pretended to be a vampire while the other girls wore Juicy Couture and perfume. I was a loner. My capacity for happiness is much greater because of the traumas. I know that my time here is finite and it’s all about love.” People Magazine

Queen Latifah

QUEEN LATIFAH

“Life has valleys and peaks, and so many things are always challenging. But I’m always working towards becoming a better me. As you hit puberty, people start looking at you in a different way. And people can be mean. I dealt with all of that. I said, ‘Dana you’re either going to hate yourself or you’re going to love yourself.’ And I decided at that moment I’m going to love myself.” People Magazine

Sara Ramirez

SARA RAMIREZ

“I was born to a dark-brown Mexican father and a white Mexican Irish American mother. There was so much xenophobia that I internalized. I thought, ‘I’m not white, and that’s bad.’ I grew up with a lot of shame, and that creates confusion around your identity and worth. I was assigned female at birth, so I grew up under these conditions to wear my hair a certain way or dress a certain way, things that felt really rigid and not right for my body. What I ended up doing was trying to constantly perform as a woman. It felt like a question of survival. Being nonbinary isn’t about being married to one hairdo or a way of dressing. It doesn’t mean I don’t ever like wearing makeup or wearing my hair long. It has more to do with understanding of your gender as being on a spectrum. A lot of times you don’t feel male or female, other times you feel like both, and other times you feel like neither. I’ve learned to befriend my feelings instead of running away from them. I’ve learned to dance with change. I can embrace all of who I am. I finally feel free.” People Magazine

Sofia Wylie

SOFIA WYLIE

“I constantly struggle with doubts and insecurities, like any teenager. It takes practice every day to overcome those things. Practically everybody I knew as a kid all of my friends, all the adults around me had straight hair. That was difficult, having big curly hair and not wanting to be ‘different.’ I wanted to belong. Looking back now, I wish I could put my hands on young Sofia’s shoulders and tell her that her hair is such a big part of who she is and that to lose it would be so sad. Now, I love my curls. They make me unique, and I would never change them for the world. But, at the time, no one could tell me different. Eventually that confident person I was pretending to be when I was performing became the person I truly was. But it took time. It’s taken a lot of mental repetition. Telling myself that I’m enough, and to not have fear. I still have anxiety that I’m not good enough. That I’m not ready for this big life. But we’re all on our own path, and everyone is going to shine at their own pace. Knowing that I’m doing everything I can to grow and continue to live this passion of mine, that’s really what gives me confidence.” GL

Alicia Keys

ALICIA KEYS

“In my creative process, I always start very insecure. I’m like, is this right? How is this landing? Do I feel good about this? I have to live in that insecurity for a bit, and then, as time progresses, I get more confident. And I’m like, you know what? I love this. Then I start to feel more swaggy and confident. Once your soul is cared for, you become everything you need to be. And you can spread that as far and wide as you want to.” ALLURE

Camila Mendes

CAMILA MENDES

“I’ve learned that positive people attract positive people, and if you’re happy with yourself, you become a better person who’s able to live a truthful, authentic life. It requires a lot of patience to deal with hate online. At the end of the day, if people are going on social media to spread hate, then I don’t respect them. So why would I care what they say about me? I knew I wasn’t taking care of myself, and that would have me feeling insecure. Now I don’t have the same anxiety I used to about food and my body. And I’m not putting all my self-worth in my appearance. There’s so much more to life than that.” InSTYLE

Nancy Pelosi

NANCY PELOSI

“My bad*** advice is to be you. Be confident in what you have to offer. It’s nice if you want to have role models, but be yourself. That has an integrity about it, an authenticity about it. That is what is necessary. Know your power, know what you can do. I was basically a shy person, believe it or not, so I didn’t really like the spotlight, but I loved the issues.” InSTYLE 

Alicia Keys

ALICIA KEYS

“I was building my life around this image of perfection, and it was really oppressive. I was clearly a woman who wanted to talk about truth and empowerment and strength, but when I really looked at myself, I realized that my whole life I’ve kind of been putting on a mask. The path to self-discovery is not a straight line. It’s zigzag. Finally in my early thirties, I moved back toward my true essence. I don’t have to fit in. None of us does. Our uniqueness isn’t a scar, but a beauty mark. I am strong and fierce and brave, no doubt. Yet I’m also someone who has found herself on the bathroom floor; boo-hooing. And I am learning to embrace all of it.” People Magazine