For Tia Mowry, a life spent almost entirely in front of television cameras has led to a long, winding—and at times complex—relationship with beauty.
For six seasons, Mowry alongside her twin sister, Tamera Mowry-Housley, were the stars of the hit sitcom Sister, Sister, as well as bona fide ’90s style and beauty icons. Their vibrant and effortlessly cool aesthetic influenced a then-burgeoning generation of young and modern Black women. Since Sister, Sister ended in 1999, Mowry has continued to act—taking on roles in series such as The Game and more recently Netflix’s Family Reunion—but has also become a vocal advocate in the health and wellness space. Via her Instagram, Mowry continuously keeps it real with her 7.3 million (and counting!) followers on the matters of motherhood, beauty, and, now, self-care—but always through the lens of the everyday Black woman.
Mowry’s foray into the wellness industry was solidified with the debut of her self-care line called Anser, a collection of multivitamins curated for women, men, mothers, and children. According to Mowry, her ongoing challenge of battling and treating endometriosis, a painful disorder that affects a woman’s uterus, encouraged her to dive deeper into exploring how she could impact the wellness industry on a larger scale.
“I started to see that the market space, and just brands in general, did not have any representation at all. Basically, I was like, ‘Where the Black girls at?'” Mowry tells BAZAAR.com. “Not just that, but women of diversity. So I said, ‘No, no, no, no, no, I have got to change this.'” She was inspired to make the space inclusive and “communicate to the women that did not feel included or recognized at all.”
Self-care and self-love fall within the realm of wellness, of course, and for Mowry, practicing that came with the notion of embracing her natural hair. When it comes to Black women and their hair, the relationship can oftentimes become complicated while navigating a society where Eurocentric beauty ideals still reign supreme. Our hair is synonymous with our identity, but simultaneously a constant cause for public critique. Mowry has documented her relationship with her hair via social media for years, but shocked her followers a few weeks back when she shared that she made “the big chop”—a momentous decision in many Black women’s personal hair journeys when they decide to thoroughly embrace their natural hair. For Mowry, cutting off her hair was a chance to relieve herself of stress and bad energy, based on a tumultuous start to 2020.
“Number one, when I think of [the big chop] from the mommy perspective, it’s about making your life easier. I mean, it’s literally shaved off 20 minutes from my morning routine. Literally, it takes me, like, two minutes to do my hair, and I’m like, ‘Yes.’ So, that’s one thing,” recounts Mowry. “But I think if I’m honest with you, I was contemplating about cutting it, but I just didn’t know when would the time be. But after Kobe Bryant’s passing, that tragedy and with the coronavirus, and then there was an earthquake in Jamaica, I was just like, ‘This energy, it has to go.’ 2020 was just kind of starting, it was just starting to get really overwhelming, and so I was like, ‘I’m just going to do it.'”
She continued, “A lot of people say you hold energy in your hair, you hold [energy] in your body. And I’m telling you, since doing it, I feel just lifted and feel lighter.”
For Mowry, the big chop is also a decision that reflects her dedication to embracing her natural hair texture, a factor she’s wrestled with since her Sister, Sister days.
“Growing up, when I was on Sister, Sister, yes, I started out with curly hair, but then my sister and I, we quickly straightened it, because we got older, and that’s kind of what we thought beauty was, was to have our hair straight. As we got older, there were times when I wore my hair curly on an audition, and they would say that my hair was in the way,” says Mowry.
Tia Mowry / Anser
“So when you hear these negatives, I don’t know, perspectives about or opinions about what beauty is, then you start to believe it. As I got older, I started to see there was a shift in the beauty community. Especially on Instagram was when I started to see it, where people were talking about the big chop and talking about embracing their natural beauty and their natural hair. I was like, ‘Yes, my hair is beautiful, my hair is wonderful, and I will be good on my show.’ On my show right now [Family Reunion on Netflix], it’s the first time that I’ve ever worn curly hair since Sister, Sister on television.
“That’s over 20 years,” Mowry continues. “I think it just says a lot of my journey with my natural hair, but now it’s almost like you’re coming out and saying, ‘I’m bold, I’m free, and this is me.’ My curly hair, the journey—it took a while, but now I’m loving every bit of it.”
Since opting for the big chop, Mowry has found herself with more time to spare in her daily morning routine, which is based on a rotation of luxurious moisturizers and face oils from skin care mainstays such as Rodin, Kiehl’s, and Vintner’s Daughter. Since going forward with the big chop, Mowry now has more valuable time with her two children—Cree and Cairo Hardrict—as well as more energy to plan the expansion of Anser. Mowry’s ultimate goal with her new line is to not only make space for Black women within the wellness industry, but to do her part to ensure they have access to live their happiest and healthiest lives.
“I want to just continue to make space and make waves within the wellness community and communicate to the audience that’s not feeling included or recognized,” says Mowry. “I just want to make sure that I continue to have that conversation about help and what we can do to stay on track and make sure that I’m continuing to communicate to women of diversity but also evolve within that.”
Assistant News Editor Bianca Betancourt is the Assistant Digital News Editor at BAZAAR.com where she covers celebrity news, pop culture and of course, Royal family ongoings.