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.

We first caught a glimpse of Gabrielle Union some 20 years ago in the beloved 90s coming-of-age cult classics. She's all that and ten things I hate about you. Then came an unforgettable turn as a fierce

and spirited cheer captain, in the turn of the millennium mega hit, Bring It On, a role she admits

she rewrote with the director to better depict a young black woman. In those days, she dominated in

milestone supporting roles, but not anymore. Today a union's purview in

Hollywood and in life is a heck of a lot bigger. In fact, her lead as the modern-day girl

boss in the four-season hit, Being Mary Jane, helped us to see a whole new kind of driven,

complex woman who's constantly begging the question, can women really have

it all? In a time when strong black women are overhauling TV, thank you Carrie Washington,

Shonda Rhymes, Issa Ray, to Raji P. Henson, Tracy Ellis Ross, and Viola Davis, Gabrielle

continues to be a key disruptor, on screen, and in real life.

Last year after the director of Birth of a Nation became embroiled in a rape scandal,

Gabrielle penned an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times,

revealing her own personal experience with sexual violence at 19.

She was an activist before that, but the article thrust her even more into the spotlight,

helping her to shed light on racism, sexism, standards of beauty, and a host of other issues

that continue to hold women back.

And while some celebrities shy away from soul-bearing social media, this particular superstar

opts for realness over rhetoric. Whether it's speaking

openly about her struggles with fertility, her entrepreneurial endeavors, or her often

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