Lena Waithe has shed her long hair for a buzz cut, and the talented writer and actor is loving her new style. Waithe, whose skill earned her an Emmy for her work on Master of None, spoke with Variety about her new haircut at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s annual grants banquet on Thursday. She revealed that at first, she was hesitant because she didn't want to be labeled as a "butch," due to her sexuality. Waithe was able to shake her fear though, and she's much happier because of it.
“I felt like I was holding onto a piece of femininity that would make the world feel comfortable with who I am,” Waithe stated. “I think I thought for a long time, ‘Oh, if I cut my hair, I’ll be a stud, I’ll be — in the gay world, there’s a lot of categories — I’ll be a stud or I’ll be a butch,’ and I’ve always thought, ‘Well, no, I’m not that, I’m still soft,’ and I said, ‘Oh, I gotta put that down ’cause that’s something that’s outside of me.'” Waithe went on to state that she feels "so free and so happy and so joyful," now that she has, "really stepped into myself.”
“If people call me a butch or say ‘she’s stud’ or call me sir out in the world — so what? So be it. I’m here with a suit on, not a stitch of makeup, and a haircut — I feel like, ‘Why can’t I exist in the world in that way?'”