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Laverne Cox is focused on her wellbeing and putting herself first, especially in today’s social and political climate. And, that starts with being confident in the skin she’s in. The Bad Hair actress, 48, has partnered with Gold Bond‘s #ChampionYourSkin campaign to celebrate those who put their skin to the test to create a better world regardless of color, shape, or condition — just as she does in TV and film.
To keep her skin feeling silky smooth and firm, Laverne uses Gold Bond Ultimate Healing lotion, as well as Gold Bond Ultimate Neck + Chest Firming Cream daily. — Her favorite lotion and cream. She most recently used the two high-performance products as part of her pre-Emmys routine this past weekend.
Gold Bond’s Ultimate Healing lotion with aloe contains seven intensive moisturizers and three essential vitamins (A,C and E) for nourishing, 24-hour hydration. Gold Bond knows that the skin on your neck and chest is physically different than other skin on your body, which is why the brand created its Ultimate Neck + Chest Firming cream. It’s uniquely formulated with a blend of key ingredients to deliver intense, long-lasting hydration and improve the appearance of skin’s firmness, texture, and elasticity for more supple, youthful-looking skin.
“At this stage in my life, I have been thinking a lot about self-care, my own wellness and how I want to live my life,” Laverne told HollywoodLife in an exclusive interview. “You have to fill up your own cup first, right? — That whole sort of thing like when you’re on an airplane, they tell you to put the oxygen mask on yourself first. And, so I haven’t always been able to do that very well. And, so what is beautiful about being a skin champion, and the skin champions we’re trying to celebrate at the Trans Wellness Center, is that we’re in full ownership of our own skin and the work that one has to do to embody that.”
While Laverne is certainly confident in the skin she’s in, it wasn’t always that way for the four-time Emmy nominee. The actress went on to explain that building confidence is a layered process, and not something that happens overnight.
“I honestly think part of the issue is that people think that there’s a turning point, and then you never go back,” she said. “I think because I had some stuff happen this year that I thought I was done with in terms of like, not feeling fully secure in myself, in my womanhood. — And, so it’s a process every single day,” Laverne explained, admitting, “Some days are better than others. Sometimes old shame tapes or old narratives will creep in and creep up and that’s when I have to be cognizant of it and say to myself, ‘Wait, why? What’s this about? Why is this coming up again?’ So, it’s a decision every day to work on yourself,” she said.
For Laverne, that work comes in the form of therapy and self-love. “It’s been years of work. I mean, there’s so many different levels of work,” she said — which later leads to milestones of growth that we may not even realize within ourselves. “All of a sudden, it’s like, ‘Oh, I’ve let go of this [negative] thing.'”
As for the things that Laverne has “let go” to free herself from negativity? — “It’s been like letting go of the shame I grew up with being trans and being Black, and all the stories that I told myself based on what I saw in the media, based on what my teachers and my preachers, and my mother and relatives were saying to me about how my behavior was not acceptable because I was too feminine,” Laverne recalled. “It was about internalizing that that was wrong and then getting to a place where it’s like, ‘No, this is beautiful that I hold my wrists like this or that I walk this way.’ We have to let go of the old stories, as well as the old behavior so that we can step into why we’re really here because we’re not here for the same story,” she explained, noting that “I think it’s important to talk about the same story in the struggle and be cognizant of that, but we’re here for something way bigger than all that.”
Laverne continued by revealing ways we can all practice self-love. “I think it’s about being vigilant, because [setbacks] can always creep up. You have to ask yourself, ‘What can I do today to treat myself better?’ Self-love is really about how we treat ourselves, and it’s a matter of saying, ‘What is something I’m going to do for myself today? What is my self-talk? Who am I going to surround myself with?’ — These are the things that are a series of actions that are loving towards ourselves,” she explained. “And then, hopefully having people in our lives who can reflect our best selves back to ourselves reaffirms and sort of reinstates over time, a sense of optimal wellbeing a sense of worthiness.”