Tracee Ellis Ross has long been #goals for lots of us for a lot of reasons. One is how stunning she looks at 50 years old. The Girlfriends and Black-ish star recently posted on Instagram, posing in a bikini makeup-free while on vacation in Jamaica. The actress shared pictures of her getting out of the water and captioned the image with a Jamaican flag. Tracee’s natural juicy and joyful curls looked healthy and plush within the photo, a reminder that Black girls can swim without worrying about their hair. 

Although lots of us see Ross’ body as perfection, that isn’t at all times the perception she has of herself. In an interview with Glamour Magazine, Ross opened up about body image. 

“My weight fluctuates. I actually have years where I wear a size 10 and years where I wear a size 4,” she said. “On Girlfriends, I kept complaining to our stylist, saying, ‘The cleaners are shrinking all my clothes.’ Finally, she said, ‘I do know that’s what you retain saying, but I need to be clear: Your body has modified, and we’d like to purchase you larger clothes.’ It took me out for a minute. Within the context of our world, sizes 8 and 10 are teeny, but not for Hollywood. I needed to ask myself, Do I need to be someone who worries about what I’m eating? Or do I need to search out a balance where I will be healthy and never consumed by that and perhaps need to buy some larger pants? I purchased latest pants.”

Ross is thought for being open and vulnerable and telling her truth, and she or he manages to accomplish that through different mediums. One in all her recent projects where she does so through Hair Tales, which she is the manager producer of. Within the docuseries aired on Hulu and OWN, Ross does a superb job exploring the culture around Black hair and the way it intersects with beauty and identity. Oprah was also an executive producer of the show. 

“For me, the intention was for it to be intimate and for it to feel like a sacred space where we could contextualize our humanity and our legacy and a lot of what we experience that never gets space to be held together,” Ross told PEOPLE in October. “It’s a love letter to black women. A show that centered us within the narrative that was about us, but for everybody. And that allowed us space to explore not only with one another but within the fullness of who we’re.”

One other example of her ability to attach with fans by having authentic conversations is her newer interview with Glamour magazine back in November, where she discusses the thrill of aging.

“I don’t understand the obsession with antiaging,” said Ross. “I believe it’s an honor to age, and so many individuals draw back from it and don’t need to tell their age.”

She continued, “I like getting older. I take a look at women who’re steps ahead of me and see a lot beauty and wisdom in them. This obsession with youth is confusing because I wouldn’t return for those who paid me. There’s nothing incorrect with being young. It’s beautiful. There are such a lot of wonderful parts of that. But attempting to stay that way, I just never understood. If we let go of that, people could experience how much deeper and more beautiful people get as they grow old.”