Queen Latifah Says ‘ I Didn’t Know I Was A Girl, Initially, I Had To Be Told That’ While Speaking On Finding The ‘Freedom’ To Be Herself 

Queen Latifah

Queen Latifah Says ‘ I Didn’t Know I Was A Girl, Initially, I Had To Be Told That’ While Speaking On Finding The ‘Freedom’ To Be Herself 

Queen Latifah is getting candid about the life experiences that shaped her into the woman she is today.

In an acceptance speech at the inaugural TheGrio Awards in Beverly Hills, the iconic actress opened up about how her sense of identity has evolved over the years.

Queen Latifah (born Dana Elaine Owens) shared with the audience:

“It all starts with the family for me. My parents raised me with the idea that Black is beautiful. Black is beautiful, Black is beautiful. Black is OK. You start saying it enough and you start believing me. And so I didn’t realize at the time that what they were preparing me for was a whole world.”

Queen Latifah

The Equalizer star also reflected on the moment she realized she was a girl and that boys and girls play by different rules.

“I didn’t know I was a girl, initially, I had to be told that. That had to be explained to me…. ‘Cause I was running around with my T-shirt off like the boys … I wanted to play the sports and all these things had to be explained to me because I was free. And so my whole life would feel like I’ve been trying to maintain my freedom to be me.”

Now, she knows exactly who she is. Queen Latifah explained,

“I wear these beautiful gowns and dresses because I want to, because that’s part of me. I play in the dirt, I play basketball with the boys — ’cause that’s me. I love who I love because that’s me. I know me. I know what I’ve done and what I haven’t done.”

She continued,

“I realize that life is fleeting and you just gotta do the best you can. Be as honest and genuine as you can. Don’t go for what people are trying to tell you about yourself. It’s not true. I said, don’t go for what people are trying to tell you about yourself.”

During a previous interview, the 52-year-old actress spoke out about understanding the difference between health and body size. She revealed that throughout her career, she’s learned to advocate for herself in professional settings when her health is not necessarily a priority to others.

Queen Latifah noted that she doesn’t mind making adjustments to her weight for a role when it’s necessary but she has no interest in compromising her health for a specific “look.” She explained:

“Health is most important to me. It’s not about losing weight or gaining weight. When I want to lose weight, or gain weight, I know how to do it in a healthy way. So if I have to do something that is going to be completely unhealthy for me, then that’s not the job for me. Someone else should have that job that’s already there… It’s called No.”

Queen Latifah

She continued,