Issa Rae did a feature with the July issue of Cosmopolitan. The photos are… okay. There’s some extreme makeup looks going on, which Issa can pull off, but few others really can. Issa is promoting Insecure, she’s promoting her CoverGirl contract, and she’s promoting the changing standards of beauty. It may sound dumb, but it just MATTERS to see Issa in Cosmo, or on the cover of a fashion magazine, just as it matters when we see Mindy Kaling or Lupita or Priyanka or Eva Mendes or Melissa McCarthy. “Beauty” should not default to slender white women. So, that’s what Issa talks about and more with Cosmo. You can see the feature here. Some highlights:

Why confidence is a continuum: “Confidence comes from knowing your sh-t is good. I’m for sure confident when it comes to work and trying to fulfill my dreams. Socially, the confidence has teetered, but that’s growing as I’m coming into who I am.”

How she doesn’t hear the haters: “There comes a point when you have to block it out but remain humble—that’s the balance I’m trying to navigate.”

Why appearances are personal: “I’m going to look how I want to look—it’s going to be on my own terms. If people criticize my look, it really does not matter to me. It’s about how I feel.”

On that season two glow-up: “I thrive off fresh starts. I will do a cleanse or diet—I need a reset button. So seeing myself on TV for a season was an excuse to be like ‘I want to lose a couple of pounds.’ I want to look my best, be my best, and feel my best.”

Becoming the face of CoverGirl was: “Kind of surreal. Like, ‘Wow, y’all are choosing me?’ It was for the little girl in me who never thought that this would be possible. There’s power in representation. There’s affirmation in representation.”

How she wants women of color to be seen onscreen: “I prioritize making dark-skinned women desirable. You don’t see a lot of dark-skin representation. That’s been overlooked. Also, seeing them as beautiful, in addition to desirable, which are two very different things.”

Why body lotion is life: “I have dry skin. My friends will be like ‘Girl, did you actually put on some lotion?’ My favorite one is called Kiss My Ash from Naturals by Gina B. It smells so good.”

[From Cosmopolitan]

Lupita said some similar things when she got her Lancome contract, that it’s important to increase the visibility of dark-skinned women because so-called “Western standards” affect the whole world, and women around the world consume those images. But Lupita generally speaks of the representation issue as a beauty issue, where Issa says, “I prioritize making dark-skinned women desirable… seeing them as beautiful, in addition to desirable, which are two very different things.” YAS. That’s what she does with Insecure, and in life. She’s amazing.

Photos courtesy of Jason Kim for Cosmopolitan, sent by promotional Cosmo email.