Welcome to Unstyled.

I'm your host, Christine Barberick, co-founder and global editor-in-chief of Refinery 29.

Each week, I invite a notable person to come in and talk with us as we explore the funny, inspiring,

sometimes heartbreaking tales of life, work, and love, as told through the things that we wear.

When the Netflix series Orange is the New Black hit our screens in 2013, we knew that something had changed.

It wasn't just that this pioneering new show was the first of its kind to communicate the vast experiences of women in prison on the very edge of their own lives.

It was that Orange as the New Black portrayed characters in the light of real women, of every size, ethnicity, orientation, and age, something that continues to be a rarity in contemporary entertainment.

While the show stars some major talents, it was the character Tasha Jefferson, aka Tasty,

played by the Southern-born Juilliard grad Danielle Brooks, who emerged as the breakout star.

And it's not just Orange is the New Blackfish driving so much buzz to Brooks.

It's her role on Broadway in the recent Tony Award-winning, The Color Purple, that's made her a bona fide woman to watch. Danielle plays Sophia, the character

notably portrayed by Oprah in the film version 31 years ago. Sophia is a determined, strong-willed

woman in a world of abuse and racism, who refuses to be subdued or to conform to the box society has put her in,

much like Danielle herself. In fact, Danielle gets one of the show's most famous musical numbers,

a power ballad called Hell No, which is a moving song about fighting to the death for her rights as a woman.

On top of all these subversive characters, Danielle is stepping into another powerful role as a body positive activist.

She's launched the popular hashtag, Voice of the Curves, to spread self-love and help to normalize those, quote, flaws all women have.

So not only is the actor living her own dream, but she's inspiring others to seek out theirs too, no matter what size or shape

they may be.

Hi, Danielle.

Hey, Christine.

Welcome to Unstyle.

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