On August 6, Ciara shared a video on Instagram where she showed off her stretch marks. “The me a few years ago would’ve never done that,” she tells TZR on a Zoom call. So what changed? How did Ciara go from attempting to get rid of her stretch marks to flaunting them on social media? “I did successfully remove a few of them, but I couldn’t remove them all. And I was like, ‘What are we going to do about it? Are we going to pout about it?’ No,” she explains. “I look at my babies and it was worth it. These are my love marks.”
And to help spread this body confidence message, Ciara has partnered with Dove, remixing the “The Hokey Pokey.” The remix, complete with a music video, features new lyrics to inspire women to show off their skin and live their best life while doing so.
“You don’t want to walk around focusing on the things you don’t feel the best about and that, in most cases, you can’t change,” Ciara says. “You’ve got to change your perspective. I’m committed to being my best self, and I think the way to do that is running towards the things that make you uncomfortable and embracing the unique parts of yourself.”
Keep reading to learn about Ciara’s journey with her body, what she hopes this Dove campaign will inspire, and more.
TZR: What was middle school like for you? I feel like it’s such a formative time in everyone’s life.
Ciara: “Middle school? Whoa, you’re taking me back. It was a very crucial time. I feel like that’s where a lot of the meat is formed, in reference to the social aspects of life, the mental perspective on life. It’s a big question mark. You’re trying to find the answers to a lot of things. I was very curious, ambitious, and very determined at the same time while I was trying to find myself or figure out who I am in this world.”
How did beauty play a role in that? Were you experimenting with it?
“I was definitely experimenting. I have always been somewhat of a minimalistic girl when it comes to beauty. But, back then, I remember white eyeliner being a big trend. I was definitely big on figuring out how to gel down my edges and do cool designs. While I was trying to figure myself out, I was definitely tapped in with the trends.”
Did you have any beauty role models growing up or anyone you looked to for beauty advice or inspiration?
“Growing up, my grandmother was definitely a great beauty reference to me because she was always so opulent. She was so bold and fierce, and everyone knew who Grandma Gladys was. They knew my grandma just by how she carried herself, and that was always inspiring to me.
“I always love shouting out Yolonda Frederick-Thompson, my makeup artist and my best friend who was also my maid of honor. I met her when I was 16 years old, and she’s been with me for 24 years.
“She’s 61. She’s the epitome of what I think taking care of yourself, loving yourself, as a woman looks like. She’s really consistent with her habits and she’s definitely been a big inspiration for me when it comes to beauty.”
Dove
What was your relationship to your body growing up?
“During my late elementary years, I was very muscular. I was also taller than most. I used to try to hunch over because I wanted to try to be shorter. I did not understand what was happening with my muscles. I didn’t feel super feminine or the most beautiful.”
How has that relationship changed as you’ve gotten older?
“When it relates to being muscular, it’s something I definitely ended up embracing. Now, I have stretch marks because of carrying my four precious babies; the skin on my tummy isn’t what it used to be. But I think if we don’t embrace the things about us that make us unique, we’ll never reach our full confidence point — we’ll never be as confident as we really should be. When you have these things that make you feel uncomfortable, you have to find a way to run towards these things. Being comfortable being uncomfortable is where the magic happens. Your confidence just skyrockets.”
How have the people in your life helped you learn to love yourself more deeply?
“Community is everything in life. The people you’re surrounded by are so important because sometimes when we’re really vulnerable, you need people who can speak life into you; you need people who can see the beauty that you don’t see. That’s what friends and family are for. And the love of your life should be celebrating those parts of you that you might not feel totally secure or confident about.”
What lessons about self-love do you hope to pass on to your children?
“I hope that my kids, especially my girls, see me and know that you are perfect as you are, that God made you uniquely you. And to tap to your uniqueness as best as you can every day. Because when you do, that’s when the magic happens.
“I hope they look at me how I looked at my grandma, or my mom, growing up. It’s really cool when someone looks up to you and thinks that what you do is really cool. It also makes you realize how much weight you carry and how important the things you do are. It’s really deep. It’s hard to formulate in words, but I hope my girls see that they can do anything they put their mind to. And that if you have self-love and you practice self-care, you’re going to go really far.”
What do you hope people take away from this campaign with Dove?
“I hope that people will join me in dropping their skin inhibitions and embracing who they are fully. Dove found that 76% of women avoid wearing clothes that show uneven skin. That’s really sad to me, that we sometimes can get in the way of ourselves embracing the things that make us unique. And I think that we all deserve to feel seen. We all deserve to feel celebrated and supported, and there’s no need to cover up. I’m just hoping that people will have fun with us.”
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