While most of us were preparing to seriously wind down for the bank holiday weekend, Gabourey Sidibe was giving an incredible speech to a roomful of women about confidence, which she says she has in abundance because she was an ‘asshole’ at school.
Speaking at Gloria Steinem’s Ms. Foundation for Women Gloria Awards and Gala in New York, Gabourey opened her speech with the revelation that she is constantly asked how she is so confident, and wondered if Rihanna gets asked that same question: ‘One of the first things people usually ask me is, "Gabourey, how are you so confident?" I hate that. I always wonder if that's the first thing they ask Rihanna when they meet her. "RiRi! How are you so confident?" Nope. No. No. But me? They ask me with that same incredulous disbelief every single time. "You seem so confident! How is that?’
The Precious actress says she was disliked at school, not because of her weight, but because she was a bossy, sarcastic ‘asshole’ who thought she was more clever than everyone else, and frequently told them so.
‘I was a snob,’ she said. ‘I thought I was better than the kids in my class, and I let them know it. That's why they didn't like me. I think the reason I thought so highly of myself all the time was because no one else ever did.’
She went on to say she was frequently berated for her weight by her parents, as well as by her classmates, which prompted her to eat even more: ‘My response was always to eat more, because nothing says, "You hurt my feelings. Fuck you!" like eating a delicious cookie. Cookies never hurt me.’
After an incident in which her entire class rejected her (gross) homemade cookies during a party, instead of sitting alone and rejected, she joined the party and was the first one up to dance: ‘I joined the limbo, and ate chips, and drank soda, and I enjoyed myself, even though no one wanted me there. You know why? I told you — I was an asshole! I wanted that party! And what I want trumps what 28 people want me to do, especially when what they want me to do is leave. I had a great time. I did. And if I somehow ruined my classmates' good time, then that's on them.’
‘How are you so confident?" "I'm an asshole!" Okay? It's my good time, and my good life, despite what you think of me,’ she continued. ‘I live my life, because I dare. I dare to show up when everyone else might hide their faces and hide their bodies in shame. I show up because I'm an asshole, and I want to have a good time. If they hadn't told me I was ugly, I never would have searched for my beauty. And if they hadn't tried to break me down, I wouldn't know that I'm unbreakable.’
Read the whole, amazing speech on NYMag.com.
Picture: Rex Features
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.