“Orange is the New Black” star Dascha Polanco proudly owns not being a size 0, and as such, she's not afraid to discuss her insecurities.
The Dominican-American actress, who’s been a vocal advocate of self-love for years, recently spoke candidly with Elle magazine about beauty.
In the video, published Wednesday, Polanco described why she feels most safe and accepted at home with her parents. Then, the star revealed what makes her feel insecure.
“I feel most insecure when I walk into a room and there’s a group of people that look a certain way,” the actress said. “Instead of me like embracing it, like ‘Oh you’re just different and unique,’ I kind of look at them like ‘Oh God… I got to get my shit together, look at her body.’ That’s why I always hashtag #SelfLovery because it’s something that everyday, I wake up and I have to remind myself [of].”
In a 2015 interview with HuffPost, Polanco discussed her body image struggles growing up and what she’s realized over the years.
“I think that I’m learning how to not make the insecurities a reason for me to not achieve my goals or go for my dreams, aspire to bigger things,” she said at the time. “I think that I still have those qualities but I am embracing them more and I’m learning to make those differences unique qualities as opposed to negative obstacles or thoughts.”
“Now is the time for women to support one another, to show love for one another,” she added. “The most important thing is to support one another and first and foremost love yourself.”
Watch Dascha Polanco discuss make up and what makes her unique in the Elle video above.
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