Teyana Taylor believes that people find her intimidating and misunderstand her personality because of her strong facial features.
But the 35-year-old actress and musician shared she sees herself as a soft and loving person.
Speaking to Allure about feeling misjudged as a Black woman, Teyana said, “I got strong features. I look very androgynous, and I think people get intimidated just by looking at me.”
She continued, “I don’t get a lot of grace. They treat me like I’m tough when I’m really a princess. I am just a girl.”
And, according to Teyana, Black women often face the pressure to appear strong.
“We’re Superwoman all the time,” Teyana redirected, “When do we ever get to take our cape off?”
The One Battle After Another star then called herself an egg, noting that from outside she seems hard but from inside she is soft, like yolk.
“My muscle memory is love,” she said. “It does hurt when I see certain things on the internet [about myself] because I’m like, ‘Damn, I thought people would be happy.’”
Back at her 2026 Golden Globes speech, Teyana shared a similar message, telling Black women and girls, “Our softness is not a liability.”
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