Tracee Ellis Ross has been entertaining us on prime time for years, and she deserves some appreciation. She is a role model for independent women who are chasing after their dreams one step at a time. Here are 17 reasons why we admire this lovely lady.

1.She is in love with herself and inspires us to feel the same.

2. She embraces her curves.

3. She’s proud of her blackness.

4. Her attempts to understand rap lyrics are hilarious.

5. She’s beautiful and can throw some shade.

Tracee Ellis Ross threw the shade we all were waiting for #BETAwards #BETAwards15 pic.twitter.com/OX12OcZsbY

— S. Cali (@shesfindingfash) June 29, 2015

6. She uses her role to relate to other women.

I’m not a parent myself, but I can relate as a Black woman. #blackish https://t.co/4ROTCDu09n

— Tracee Ellis Ross (@TraceeEllisRoss) February 25, 2016

7. She gets Kanye shoutouts in songs (and is featured in his videos).

8. We all need ‘Girlfriends’ like her to give us a reality check.

9. And we all know a ‘Bow.

We all know someone like Bo’ (@TraceeEllisRoss) #BlackISH pic.twitter.com/wou40ZbOB5

— GWoods King Of Memes (@iamgwoods) February 25, 2016

#Bow not Tracee!!! I know Bow’s too 😳 https://t.co/dwAI9iMHYG

— Tracee Ellis Ross (@TraceeEllisRoss) February 25, 2016

10. She’s a proud daughter…

“Born Tracee Joy Silberstein, Ross chose to honor both her parents when she became a member of the Screen Actors Guild. “I wanted everyone to not just know I was Diana Ross’ daughter, but that I was Bob Ellis’ daughter,” she says.”
“I’m so much like my dad,” Ross says, adding that her screwball personality and comedy instincts came from her father. “It just was really important to me that he have as much claim to me as my mom had.” My father’s name is Robert Ellis Silberstein but he goes by Bob Ellis! #blackish #backstage #TBT

A photo posted by Tracee Ellis Ross (@traceeellisross) on Jan 14, 2016 at 9:37am PST

11. Even if her mom embarrasses her in public.

12. She supports Black Lives Matter.

Part 1: Discussing #BlackLivesMatter with @LarryKingNow on @OraTV. See the rest of my interview at TraceeEllisRoss.com #blackish #LarryKingNow

A video posted by Tracee Ellis Ross (@traceeellisross) on Dec 20, 2015 at 1:14pm PST

Part 2: Discussing #BlackLivesMatter with @LarryKingNow on @OraTV. See the rest of my interview at TraceeEllisRoss.com #blackish #LarryKingNow

A video posted by Tracee Ellis Ross (@traceeellisross) on Dec 20, 2015 at 1:13pm PST

13. She knows Black Girls Rock (and will be hosting again this year).

14. She’s a Rihanna fan.

Getting ready for a long day of work in #NYC! Wish I could sing this song as good as @badgalriri but I sound like a duck! #blackish

A video posted by Tracee Ellis Ross (@traceeellisross) on Mar 15, 2016 at 10:07am PDT

15. She’s a lip-sync maestro.

16. She is fitness inspiration.

Weight training with @msjeanettejenkins today! I change up my workout to exercise different muscle groups 💪🏾

A video posted by Tracee Ellis Ross (@traceeellisross) on Dec 11, 2015 at 3:44pm PST

17. She’s T-Murda!

18. She embraces her natural hair.

19. She shares awesome throwbacks with the world.

Last week my mom asked me to come on stage and sing with her (check it out at TraceeEllisRoss.com). By the time I made it to the stage, I became the shy little girl I used be …I found some proof!! Me with my mom at the #Motown25 celebration!

A photo posted by Tracee Ellis Ross (@traceeellisross) on Dec 1, 2015 at 4:58pm PST

Thank you Tracee for being YOU!

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