Issa Rae Gets Real About Confidence and On-Screen Representation

Don't let the name of Issa Rae's HBO hit fool you. While she created and stars in a show called Insecure, the 33-year-old actress is anything but.

"Confidence comes from knowing your sh-t is good," she tells Cosmopolitan for its July 2018 issue. "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."
Now entering her third season, Rae has received high praise for her role as Issa Dee. In fact, she's received two Golden Globe nominations in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series for a Musical or Comedy category.
But for Rae, it's not just about the awards. It's also about the representation of women of color on-screen.
 
"I prioritize making dark-skinned women desirable," she tells the magazine. "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."

Jason Kim for Cosmopolitan

In her shoot for Cosmopolitan, Rae wears a colorful dress by Thornton Bregazzi. She also dazzles in a yellow ensemble by Cushnie et Ochs and earrings by Laura Constantine.
When it comes to her own personal style, Rae likes to stay true to herself and not worry about what people think. Just yesterday, the actress hosted the CFDA Awards and wore a glittering blue gown with a belt that read "Every N**** Is a Star."
"I'm going to look how I want to look—it's going to be on my own terms," she told the magazine. "If people criticize my look, it really does not matter to me. It's about how I feel."

To read more of Rae's interview, check out Cosmopolitan's July issue.