Teyonah Parris Quotes

I've never wanted to look like models on the cover of magazines. I represent the majority of women and I'm very proud of that.

I think the Miss Universe title not only gives me the opportunity to become a role model for Latina girls around the world, but to show that beauty isn't just about the outside.

I'd like to be the role model to teach other people who have Down's syndrome to be actors and actresses and to be themselves and not try to be a big shot.

Part of the reason I wanted to model was to push the boundaries and challenge the perceptions of what a beautiful body is supposed to look like. Why should I feel any differently about looking good than anyone else?

My visibility may have gotten Hollywood to redefine what's attractive.

I know I'm representing a group - black, Latin, whatever you want to put me with - and I want to show that they are beautiful the way they are. I think that's really important for our youth to see.

It really comes down to being able to inspire others by being comfortable with yourself. You have to show girls that everyone is different; everyone has things they don't like, but they work it and walk the runway.

With L'Oreal, I get to be Aimee Mullins, model. No qualifier. And that means everything to me.

I feel empowered the fact that I can look the way that I do on stage and in photos - I can look that way any time I want. And I feel like it's important message to other women that they can do it, too.

I want to encourage women to embrace their own uniqueness. Because just like a rose is beautiful, so is a sunflower, so is a peony. I mean, all flowers are beautiful in their own way, and that's like women too.

When I grew up, I never saw anyone looking like me on TV, you know? I'm so glad to see a lot more of us on television, whether it's Mindy Kaling or it's Irrfan Khan or Freida Pinto. You know, I hope, like, little girls across the world can just look at me and say, 'Ah, I want to be that!' Indian or not, it shouldn't matter.

I just want to be real and who I am. That's something I'd feel comfortable with any little girl looking up to, so that's who I try to be.

Since the beginning of my career, I have publicly dressed and represented women of all sizes, of all colors. And that's a big part of who I am and what I want to give to the world.

One of the big things I've learned over the years and I'm excited that Glossier perpetuates is that wherever you're at, in terms of your scope of knowledge around beauty, is totally okay. And not just okay, but actually really valuable.

In 2017, there is more than one way to be beautiful and more than one way to be cool. And when you put an image on the cover of 'Vogue,' that means something that goes beyond fashion.

Just because we're a bit curvier doesn't mean we don't want to look great.

It was cool to play an African princess who's the smartest in the whole world. That never happens. So I hope all the young girls can feel smart, too.

If there was going to be a pioneer of the plus-size girl of my shape on TV, why not me?

The idea that I get to kind of redefine what is beautiful and whose story deserves to be told and showcase that you know, big women have love lives and complex colorful lives like everybody else, that's really important to me.

I know seeing bigger women looking great would have mattered to me when I was younger - that's why I try not to wear a black dress every day.

There were times I wouldn't leave my room for weeks and sometimes missed school because I hated how people would look at me. But my older sister helped me find the positive: She used to show me pictures of Alek Wek to say, 'See! You can be a model if you want!'

What I really realized is that by being myself, regardless of what that means, you become a better role model.

I loved her music and the fact that she was a classically trained pianist and that her voice was so unique, but what made Nina Simone my hero is that I had never seen anyone in the public eye who looked anything like me at all, ever.

I am not my skin. I am a model with a skin condition.

Kids will tell me 'oh I want to be like you when I grow up,' you know. I just thought 'nah, don't be like me, be like you,' because first of all they don't really know me but second of all I understand what they're trying to say but I just let them know - be like you.