Karen's 3 Words

Name: Karen Pittman

Profession: Artist, Actor, Producer

How I describe myself in Three Words: Resilient, Creative, Evolving

How I express my Three Words through my style:

Resilient: Resilience has to do with my body, my muscularity, my size (how I may bounce between sizes based on the garment) and how I move. I’m always looking for the right level of fitness.

Creative: I like to try a lot of different looks. I have very specific examples of that in the way I present myself, but most of my creativity is centered around texture—shiny, buzzy, pointy. It’s also reflected in my home design. Katherine Berschback (my interior designer) designed my home in a way that’s shiny (not matte). At the Golden Globes, I wore a feather dress. In interviews, I wear gold. At the premiere of The Morning Show, I wore a dress with a cape and a huge wig (my hairstylist was Nai’vasha). I like to mix it up through style and versality. For a long time for African American women, our identity was tied to our hair. If we wore it a certain way, it was more aligned with the diaspora and politically to the left. Nowadays, it doesn’t matter. We see hair all sorts of ways—natural, long weave, relaxed, twists. It’s reflected in our personal style and it’s important to do what you want to do with your look. My daughter cuts her hair and colors it. She’s 11 and watches anime, and she’s self-expressive with the body and hair she has. As a mom, I don’t shy away from things like green nail polish and a good tat; I’m not getting a tramp stamp on my lower back but I like something cute and meaningful. Be original about your style.

Evolving: Evolution is about acceptance. Evolving to me is allowing myself to be accepting of who I am instead of fitting in. If we allow ourselves to go with our brand and style, all of that blooms and we move forward as women.

Words of advice on how to develop the confidence to be who you are:

Challenge your body. Give yourself physical goals. In my life, I am a risk taker by nature, and I probably take more risks than anyone around me. You have to be okay to roll the dice because you only get one life. Put yourself out there. Give the relationship a chance. Go out and get that job. Go to your parents and tell them you’re going to major in art. It’s so important to build confidence, push your body, and take risks. Also, don’t forget where you come from. My parents grew up in Mississippi and moved to Nashville, Tennessee to give me a better life. The life I led in Nashville looked nothing like my parents’ life in Mississippi. I’m a single mother and went to grad school. Part of what gave me the idea to even do that is looking to my parents. They knew they had to manifest this life, and this is the spiritual legacy of their manifestation. Remember where you come from. Look to your ancestors. None of us got here by ourselves.

How I'm practicing self-care these days:

I say no to myself. No, you can’t drink. No, you can’t sit around—you have to exercise. No, you can’t wait to pay that bill. I get myself to see beyond that temporary lack to get to something I really want. Day to day though, I give myself a little comfort or a little something. It’s about creating a space for physical, mental and spiritual stamina to see beyond something that’s instant gratification to delayed gratification to a much better place. It’s a more full expression of the ability to care for myself. I have developed self-respect through that. If you really respect yourself, you wouldn’t do this; you would wait for that.

Did you know your style can be a form of self-care?

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