Tia Mowry is embracing her next chapter, and part of that looks like living authentically in her truth to encourage others to do the same.
The mother of two takes pride in showing up as the highest version of herself for her children and understands that this is only possible by taking care of herself first. As they say, one cannot pour from an empty cup, which is no longer a part of Mowry’s ministry. It’s also the reason she is partnering with the global biopharmaceutical company AbbVie to raise awareness about eczema, a chronic skin condition that causes inflammation, redness and itching.
On bringing awareness to eczema and its impact on Black women
“I am 1 in 31 million Americans who suffer from eczema, so I definitely understand the challenges that come with that,” Mowry told Blavity. “I’m really happy to be partnering with AbbVie on this initiative. My journey with eczema wasn’t an easy one. I feel like, unfortunately, especially with women of color, oftentimes we get dismissed whenever we are experiencing, should I say, some sort of health challenges.”
She continued, “I just want to bring awareness and educate and encourage people to be their own advocate. You know your body more than anyone. You live with yourself day in and day out. Also, if you’re being dismissed when you go to a healthcare practitioner, don’t give up. Go to someone else; keep on going. It had to take a Black woman to basically diagnose me with eczema, and I think representation is really important, along with sharing our stories.
On Oct. 8 and 9, Mowry’s latest collaboration with AbbVie, The Eczema Experience: Stories Itching to Be Told, will be displayed as an interactive public pop-up event at Flatiron Plaza in New York City.
Attendees will be immersed in the emotional, physical and social realities of living with eczema through powerful, multisensory experiences narrated by Mowry.
Her experience with the skin condition
“I went misdiagnosed for years,” the actor recalled. “And that was due to lack of knowledge, lack of awareness, lack of information, lack of representation. So, just that story alone was applied to this pop-up experience. It has cool interactive elements, but more importantly, expert insights exist. There is a dermatologist who also speaks and shares insight and knowledge. But again, I think it’s the idea of realizing or putting forward that you’re not alone. There are options that are available, and there’s a hub that you can go to find resources and to take action, which is eczemahq.com, so it’s basically, again, bringing awareness, representation, sharing your story, and being vulnerable.”
Most importantly, Mowry stresses that others who are dealing with this skin condition are not alone and that there is no need to suffer in silence, noting some of the misconceptions that are linked to eczema.
“I have friends that suffer from eczema, and sometimes I feel like what happens is they feel like they don’t necessarily have a choice to have or find options,” Mowry shared. “It starts with you being an advocate for yourself and not being afraid to take action. That is one misconception, and I think I can also take it back to representation. There weren’t or aren’t a lot of visuals in textbooks that show what eczema looks like on darker skin tones. So there could be many people out there suffering in silence and not really knowing what it is that they have. Again, I think the narrative and the goal here is to realize that you don’t have to suffer in silence. There are options out there, and initiatives like the one that AbbVie and I are pushing forward to help you manage your condition.”
Her next chapter
As Mowry continues to peel back the layers of herself as she embarks on a new chapter that looks a lot different than what she’s been used to as Tia Mowry, the beloved actor, wife, sister, friend, etc., she has found a lot of solace in having the courage to be vulnerable, not just for herself, but to uplift those around her.
“When you are vulnerable and when you open up and share sometimes the most uncomfortable experiences, it can be scary, but in that discomfort, when you share your store, there is healing,” Mowry said.
“The toughest moments for this show that I had experienced was during the interview sessions because I said, if I’m doing this show, I’m gonna have to open up and be vulnerable,” she said of her new reality television series, Tia Mowry: My Next Act on We TV. “The why is to share these experiences so that people can be inspired. And you know, it wasn’t easy going back to some of the most uncomfortable moments that I had experienced in the past two years.”
Moreover, she called the show a release and said that letting go was something she knew she had to do after reading a book, Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender, by psychologist David Hawkins.
“The book is all about how we shouldn’t harbor or hold on to our emotions and our feelings because each emotion, especially the ones that are on the lower-level frequency, which is sadness, depression, grief and all of that, it could really affect your wellness and your wellbeing and your health. But, when you release them and move them to a higher frequency, such as joy, gratitude and forgiveness, these are better frequencies to live at. It actually does the opposite for your health, meaning the negative emotions. So just releasing, letting go, sharing my story, and walking in gratitude has been healing.”
