Landing a magazine cover is one of the top things a celebrity can achieve, but for “Orange Is the New Black” star Danielle Brooks, this one is a particularly moving experience.
Brooks, who is pregnant with her first child, burst into tears while sitting down and discussing her Shape magazine cover with the publication.
“I think the thing that I’m most proud of today is getting to be a cover girl for Shape magazine,” she says before beginning to cry. “This is a big deal because I feel like the universe, the way the world works, it has built these invisible bullets to bully us in telling us who we’re supposed to be and what we’re supposed to look like.”
“And I’ve always had this desire to prove people wrong — to say that this body that I’m in is enough,” she continued. “Now that I’m about to be a mother, it means even more — to make sure that this human being I’m going to bring into the world knows that they are enough when they’re hit with all these bullets coming at them. So being able to get this opportunity to be on Shape is a pretty big deal.”
In response to Brook’s candor, many fans have been giving her lots of credit for sharing her story.
“I love you Dani you are a BIG DEAL‼️‼️❤️”
“My entire queen. It is a big deal and you’re so deserving! I love you D!!!!”
“You are a QUEEN GODDESS, @daniebb3! 💯💯💯💕💕💕 I love you. We love you. We need you. This baby is blessed to be brought into the world by such a great being g of LIGHT! 🔥🔥🔥 Shine on, sis! SHINE ON!”
But while Brooks may seem confident now, it wasn’t always that way. Back in 2015, the star wrote a personal essay for Glamour magazine. In it, she disclosed feeling displeased and self-conscious about her appearance growing up.
The actress described the moment her confidence took a hit when on the way home from Bible study as a middle-schooler, a woman pointed out her stretch marks.
“’Danielle you’ve got stretch marks on your arms!'” she remembered a woman from church remarking. She said the lady “proceeded to take her pointer finger and identify the four or five tiny lines that were starting to form. She continued, ‘You’re too young to be getting stretch marks,’ though she was covered in them herself. And that’s when the cycle of judging myself began.”
Now, however, becoming a star and realizing the impact she has with her platform has transformed Brooks’ outlook. She told Shape she’s embraced advocating for body-positivity.
“I began to understand the importance of not shying away from being an advocate for body positivity, but running toward it full throttle,” she said.
