Viola Davis Is the New Face of L’Oréal Paris and We Can’t Think of Anyone More Worth It

L’Oréal Paris has a track record of appointing incredibly strong women as its spokespeople — think: Eva Longoria, Helen Mirren, Celine Dion and more — and as of today, Viola Davis. That’s right, the 54-year-old award-winning actress will be the face of L’Oréal’s Age Perfect line, and we couldn’t be more elated.

We had the privilege of listening to Davis speak on a panel with the deputy general manager of L’Oréal Paris, Anne Marie Nelson-Bogle, yesterday to celebrate the announcement, and the experience was inspiring beyond words. On the way out, one editor even commented that she felt like she had just gone to church, and we can’t say we disagree.

The How to Get Away With Murder star takes L’Oréal’s tagline — Because You’re Worth It — to heart. “I can remember hearing many of the women before me who represented the brand say ‘Because I’m Worth It,’ in advertising and it always felt so powerful,” she says. “The fact that four words could carry so much weight was always so inspiring and to now, say those words myself is truly incredible.”

Davis didn’t always feel like she was worth it, though. “I was born in 1965 and I grew up in Central Falls, Rhode Island, and women typically who look like me were not told that they were worth it,” she says. “I would say that literally saying those words was the greatest affirmation. It’s sort of like raising your daughter and telling her every day that ‘You’re beautiful ... You know, you’re worth it.’ It’s sort of like saying it to your younger self ... I feel a huge responsibility to give women that message and especially women of color.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Viola Davis (@violadavis) on Sep 10, 2019 at 8:01am PDT

As for what she hopes to convey in her role as a global spokesperson, Davis asserts that age is an important component to her. “I hope to convey that there is beauty to every age — youthfulness is beauty in its most obvious sense, there’s classical beauty, but with age and experience comes confidence — and there is nothing more beautiful to radiate than that.”

While we look forward to spotting Davis’ face in upcoming campaigns, it’s her powerful mantra of self-worth worth most excited to see more of.

“I believe that the greatest privilege is to be who you are,” she says. “No apologies for your age, your color, anything! As long as you’re you and living up to who that is and what that means, you’re worth it. That’s self worth.” 

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

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