00:00What's up y'all?
00:01It's your girl, Nateri Naughton.
00:02A lot of times people say,
00:04oh, she's just an angry black woman.
00:06I'm like, well, what you mean?
00:07What does that even mean?
00:08Why does being a black woman instantly make you think
00:11that I'm angry or because I want something done,
00:14I have to be difficult or, you know, a bitch?
00:17Like, that's not me.
00:19We have to change the narrative.
00:21We have to actually start talking about our perception
00:24of what blackness is.
00:26And then once we talk about it, say, you know what?
00:28No, no, no, no.
00:29My black is beautiful.
00:30Black means powerful to me.
00:32Black means strong to me.
00:34Black means amazing, fashionable, innovative,
00:37trendy, sexy.
00:39And I think we as a people and as the culture
00:43can start to redefine that on our own terms.
00:46It is possible to dream big.
00:48It is possible to be black and beautiful and successful
00:51and nice and respectful.
00:54Just because you're successful doesn't mean
00:55you have to be a bitch, you know what I'm saying?
00:57And there's a misconception that I think has been surrounding us.
01:02And now's the time to break that.
01:04We need to make sure that we project images that represent all of us in our entirety.
01:10So now that I am a mommy, it's super important for me to instill the values of, you know,
01:15confidence and self-esteem and embracing her gorgeous chocolate skin.
01:19And I think the first thing that I started to do, because my daughter is not even quite two,
01:25but we wake up and we, you know, she has her curly hair, afro,
01:30and I make sure that we stand in the mirror and literally do affirmations like she's an adult.
01:35But it's important for her to see images of herself, for me to lead by example.
01:40And that's part of what my duty as a mother is, to make sure that she learns how beautiful
01:46and how special and unique she is.
01:48It's super important to have black women be in leadership positions.
01:53I mean, for me, our former president, Barack Obama, and seeing the first lady, Michelle Obama,
02:00was life-changing for me, seriously.
02:02When you see a black woman in a position of power or in a position of elegance or walking
02:08down the runway as a model, it says to all those people who are watching, we matter.
02:15You know, when I was in the group 3LW, I was 15 years old, we had a platinum album as
02:21our
02:21first album.
02:21We sold 1.6 million records.
02:23And for Sony Epic, our label, it was a huge deal.
02:27So I think we did it because we didn't even realize that we were up against certain things.
02:33When you're young and you're excited and you just want to sing and dance, you forget
02:37about all those things that can hold you back.
02:39You just go for it.
02:40In a world like this, sometimes it can be hard to own your beauty.
02:43But for me, the way that I own my beauty and embrace it is to make sure that when I
02:48walk
02:48into a room, I just make sure that I let my light shine.
02:52I know that I'm powerful.
02:53I know that I'm beautiful.
02:55And even the days when I don't always feel like it, you kind of have to have a talk with
02:59yourself in the mirror and be like, girl, you killing it.
03:02Ooh, you cute?
03:03Ooh, you got this.
03:04You can do this.
03:05My black is beautiful.
03:06My advice to any black girl who's out there struggling to find the beauty within themselves
03:13is to hold on, girl, because your time is coming.
03:17Be patient.
03:18Remember that your uniqueness is what makes you beautiful.
03:22It's to recognize you are enough, you are special, and don't let the world define you.
03:27That was so much fun.
03:28I had a great time doing my interview on Unbothered.
03:31I'm Unbothered.
03:32Are you?
03:32Be patient.
03:33Be patient.
