Tracee Ellis Ross Says She Felt 'A Lot Of Discomfort' In Her Skin While Growing Up

Although Tracee Ellis Ross is the child of iconic singer Diana Ross, she has paved her own path to becoming an iconic Hollywood actress herself. 

Mostly famous for her role as Rainbow Johnson in "Black-ish," it's safe to say that the actress has made her name in the industry and imprinted it in the heart of her fans.

Despite being known for her comedic chops, Ellis is much more; the actress has led a memorable and eventful life that's likely to fill most fans with awe and surprise. 

Read on to get the details of her revelation

As the "Girlfriends" actress opened up to Instyle magazine about her personal evolution, she disclosed that she was proud of who she was now, as she never felt comfortable in her skin before this time.

"I'm really proud of who I've become as a woman that, at 49 years old, I can hold both the grief for what hasn't happened and also the joy for what is happening," the actress began. "I'm present in my experience with a sense of wholeness I really could not have imagined when I was growing up because I had a lot of discomfort in my skin."

She continued, "I actually feel comfortable in my skin now. If you had told me that was going to happen, I don't know that I would've believed you."

She also discovered that part of the journey to comfortability was understanding that her joy and acceptance were based on her terms.

"Culturally, young girls are taught to dream of their wedding and not the life they want to be living or the people they want to become," Ross, who is happily single, said. "I was not spared that messaging as a child — not from my mom or my dad, but from the world that we lived in." 

She mentioned that she spent a lot of time dreaming of her wedding. She added that if she had used those times to think about her dream, she might have gotten to achieve her dreams sooner. If anything, she wished she had this conversation sooner and had people like herself who helped her "cultivate happiness and joy and a life that matches you."

Despite her zen state of mind, the actress still admitted to having anxiety episodes while in the spotlight. She mentioned that although she might be on the red carpet doing what she loves, there's always a lingering thought in her mind which makes her think everyone is laughing at her.

However, Ellis has found out that the key to silencing the voices in her head was to have a sense of gratitude.

"Sometimes I'm like, 'How did I go from the best day ever to having so much anxiety right now?' If you think of all the brightness and joy that I hold, I have the same on the other side. I deal with — like everybody — disappointment, sadness, bad days, lots of anxiety. I fall back on gratitude, and that's usually where my attitude changes."

In last year's HarpersBazaar cover story, the actress opened up about how her journey of self-discovery and acceptance had gotten clearer with age.

She mentioned that it had been a long journey, and it took a long time to "know, love, and accept" herself. And while that went on, it also took a ton of courage to "live the world as that person."

She claimed it has been a "trial and error" process and a "hard-earned journey of self-discovery and acceptance."

She also spoke of approaching menopause and added that while it was "frying her brain," she has decided to see it as experience gained rather than lost.

"It is the most glorious invitation into a new season and chapter in my life, yet there's no information about it. There's shame talking about it."

Despite the popular opinion of diminishing returns on female actors as they aged, this appeared to be an exception for Ellis, who attained great heights in her career at age forty.

In an interview with BBC, she mentioned that as she neared the age of fifty, she had never felt sexier, adding that it was absurd to run with the stereotype of women past a certain age are often dismissed in the entertainment industry.

She was quick to cite the example of her mother, Diana Ross, who, at age 77, was still as agile and excellent as ever.