Tracee Ellis Ross Recalls Being Told to 'Put Some Heat' on Her Hair

Tracee Ellis Ross is reflecting on her experiences

The Black-ish actress is on the cover of Elle‘s The State of Black Beauty issue.

PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Tracee Ellis Ross

In the article, Tracee opened up about Pattern Beauty and the lack of representation in the beauty industry in conversation with Kerry Washington.

“It started as such a personal relationship with my own hair and feeling like I didn’t have the support to find what I needed. Not just in terms of products, but in terms of how to love myself. I was very supported in my family around my hair. But in terms of seeing all different kinds of versions in the wallpaper of my lives out in the world, I wasn’t seeing it. And I was getting confused,” she said.

“All of the things that I was taught from the media were like, I was supposed to have easy breezy beautiful hair. Bouncin’ and behavin’. My hair didn’t blow in the wind! All of these things didn’t match up. There was a void, in both seeing ourselves in our natural, authentic beauty, and also having products that would work for us to do our hair naturally—to wear it the way it naturally came out of our heads.”

She also discussed a moment early-on in her career at the Essence Music Festival: “A woman was like, ‘Girl, you’re on TV. You need to get your hair done.’ And I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ She was like, ‘Put some heat on your hair! What are you doing?’”

Tracee also opened up a bout not watching her character to do “lady chores.”