![]() What is something you wish you could tell your younger self? There’s nothing like the feeling of creating characters and a new world that I built from my imagination and God’s grace and infinite creative wisdom! So after executing an idea that has lived within me and on many pages of my journals, I beam. It is closest to who I am and why I’m here. Right after I turn in a script, especially if it’s for a TV show I have created. When do you feel your most confident and why? For eight years every Monday night, young black girls got to see an array of hairstyles that mirrored who they are and (hopefully) inspired them to embrace and shine in that reflection! ![]() As for natural hair, I am proud to be a pillar of the movement and to have created characters that expanded what the pop culture spectrum of beauty looked like and could be. We embraced the fun, beauty and power of the versatility of all hair types and choices. ![]() In fact, it was intentional to take the shame associated with black women wearing weaves back in the early 2000s and our bedtime routines, of wrapping up our blow-outs and weaves and protective styles at night, and make them normal, needed and stylish. Thankfully, the fight for the truth of black girl authenticity didn’t just serve us twenty years ago- by winning that battle, black girls got to see that all of their hairstyles were pretty, from weaves to natural hair. If you get a chance at getting the truth right, you get a real swing at being iconic. When I’m creating, I’m more concerned about getting the details of our humanity right. When you were creating Girlfriends, did you have any idea how iconic it would become? And how it would be a turning point for many black women in their confidence/beauty journeys? At what point did it click for you? I’m glad that I learned early that our hair is the back up dancer in our world (tour concert). Neeko, who is the czar of the short hair cut, knows that when one cuts their hair short-in my case Halle Berry short-that it is more than a hairstyle, it is a blossoming, it is a coming out party to allow the world to see you-your face, your smile, your eyes. Revisiting my own life through my show Love Is reminded me of the importance of a haircut. We need to give ourselves more permission to play, try and change our minds, not just with our hair, but with our lives. I find that a lot of times we think once we decide to do something we have to commit forever-certainly to raising your children, but not to your hair color. Try and give yourself permission to change your mind. What is your advice for other women who are starting to go gray and don’t feel confident in it? Shout out to Marva Stokes who transforms me and helps pull out more of my light. It has encouraged me to try new things like protective hairstyles to change it up a bit and that’s been sooo much fun. Practically, embracing my natural hair has saved me time and money. Accepting exactly who I am and not hiding from myself has been so freeing. I have recently embraced my grey hair and that has been an even more confident journey. I have always appreciated its wash and go lifestyle, that has afforded me more time on my dreams. I have always appreciated the versatility and strength of my hair. Were you always confident in your natural hair? Speaking of natural self, I no longer wash my hair so often, and now I let my hair be “dirty.” (Not to be confused with unhygienic or stinky.) I love his approach and philosophy to embracing our natural curls and thus our natural self. I discovered and fell in love with Vernon François’ product line. What about your hair? Any secrets to divulge there? “It began on a deeper level when I turned 40 and went into overdrive these past few years, now that I have been healing and releasing a lot childhood trauma.” I’ve always appreciated being told I was beautiful, but I have recently really started to feel beautiful,” she says. “It has been a fake it 'til you make it path. ![]() Though Akil seems preternaturally confident, she admits that the journey to self-trust took time. Mind you, I was wearing my hair naturally curly, too.” “I essentially did a report on the different hairstyles that black women were wearing to educate them. Akil made sure that the beauty portrayed on the show was accurate: “I had to fight the studio and network for Tracee Ellis Ross to wear her hair naturally,” she remembers. In 2000, she created the iconic sitcom Girlfriends, starring Tracee Ellis Ross, which paved new ground for black women on TV. It’s a good moment to reflect on all she’s done: After getting her start as a writer on shows like South Central and the beloved ’90s hit Moesha, Akil became a supervising producer on The Jamie Foxx Show. Mara Brock Akil turns 50 years old today.
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