- 6 weeks ago
LeToya Luckett at Essence Festival 2019!
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00It must be harder, you know, for someone like you who is in the public eye.
00:04Do you feel that pressure to have to snap back and have to look a certain way for all of our prying eyes?
00:11Absolutely.
00:13For me, of course, everyone's journey is very, very different.
00:16But what you said is so important.
00:20We look in the mirror before we have a child and we're like, oh, this is me.
00:23This is who I am.
00:24You know, this is the Latoya that I know.
00:27And then you have baby and you're so excited and you go back to that same mirror and you go, wait a minute.
00:34Who is this?
00:35What body?
00:36What happened?
00:36Especially if you breastfeed.
00:38Whose boobs are these?
00:40Whose belly button is this?
00:41I'm like, I don't know whose boobs these are.
00:42I mean, they're attached to me.
00:44Exactly.
00:44I'd like, I'm borrowing.
00:45I'd like to give back.
00:47But here's the thing.
00:48It's still you.
00:50Regardless if it's a new you.
00:52Regardless if it's, you know, you've put on a couple of pounds.
00:55Something's different.
00:56It's still you.
00:57It's you evolving.
00:59And that's what I have to keep in my mind.
01:01Of course, I found myself scrolling, looking at old pictures like, dang, look at the clavicle.
01:07It's gone.
01:07It's missing now.
01:08Where's my clavicle?
01:10It was so good.
01:11Those chins.
01:12Stop beating yourself up, ladies.
01:14Stop beating yourself up.
01:16Appreciate who you are.
01:17And I'm speaking to myself right now because I still have challenges with it.
01:20But, of course, you know, especially with social media, being in the public eye, people are like, oh, she's still fat.
01:27Or when is she going to snap back?
01:29Didn't she have that baby?
01:30Right.
01:31And this goes back to the snapback culture, right?
01:33It's one thing about wanting to snap back for yourself.
01:36But there's this culture of, like, bullying.
01:38Yes.
01:38Of, like, you have to.
01:40But I do feel like in the celebrity realm, a lot of people will go into hiding.
01:45Like, it's, like, shameful.
01:47Like, I'm going to have a baby, but I'm not coming back into the public eye until I look like I did when I didn't have the baby.
01:52And I do think, as a feminist, that's wrong.
01:55It's so wrong.
01:56Because our bodies go.
01:58I mean, we bring a whole entire life into the world.
02:00Life into the world.
02:01And for me, like, I didn't do that.
02:03I couldn't go into hiding.
02:05Like you said, I'm new to T.I. and Tiny's show.
02:08And four weeks after having Gianna, my daughter, I was on TV.
02:13Four weeks.
02:14This hadn't even been cleared from the doctor.
02:16Four weeks.
02:17Four weeks.
02:18I was on TV with all the chins, okay?
02:21Giving y'all all this back fat.
02:23You hear me?
02:24And I was like, you know what?
02:26I am, I love to see this.
02:28This was probably my biggest fear because, like, you know, with every other person in my field, I hate the celebrity word.
02:35But everyone else in my field, they feel like they can't be themselves in front of people.
02:40And I said, no, I want people to see me in my most vulnerable state.
02:45And I need them to be able to relate.
02:47Because a lot of times what you see on TV, a lot of times what you see on these stages, it's not even real.
02:52You have people that are suffering in silence because they don't want to accept their bodies or they're afraid of being bullied or because they don't look like something that's on TV or in the magazines that they're not built well.
03:06Or God overlooked them, you know, or paid more attention to making this person beautiful.
03:11That's not the case.
03:13And so the reason why I decided to go back to the show, because I could have said, hey, guys, let my body heal.
03:18I want to lose a few pounds.
03:20I said, no, no, no.
03:21As soon as I get cleared, I'm coming and I'm going to start filming because I wanted people to see that.
03:26It's an act of power and of rebellion and independence to do that because so many, like you said, in that celebrity field, you know, that will go, like I said, into hiding.
03:37And for you to say, no, this is what I look like.
03:40This is real life.
03:41This is the honest to God truth.
03:42When you have a baby, this is what you look like.
03:45And mama's got to go back to work.
03:47Yeah.
03:47And then there's some women that do snap back quick.
03:50Genetics.
03:51The Tiana Taylors of the world.
03:54Oh, every time I see, I want to go off.
03:56Did y'all see that Instagram picture she put up?
03:58Every time I see her.
03:58She was like six days later, she had like, she had a six pack.
04:02I was like, sis.
04:03And I said, that's not my ministry.
04:05God didn't do that over here.
04:07And I love her for it.
04:09And that's awesome.
04:10But he did something different with me.
04:11And it's okay.
04:13It's okay.
04:14But I also have to say, okay, you know, during the pregnancy, I was craving certain things.
04:18You know, we get lit.
04:20Give me all the honey buns, all the macaroni and cheese.
04:23The baby wants it, not me.
04:25Give it over.
04:26I want the ribs.
04:27I want it all.
04:27I'm eating for two.
04:28I'm eating for two.
04:30What I had, what I did say was, okay, cool.
04:32The baby's out.
04:33Of course, I decided to breastfeed.
04:35So I still want to, you know, be healthy.
04:38I want to make sure that I maintain, you know, a healthy appetite, whatever, lifestyle.
04:45And also when my doctor clears me, I want to be able to work out.
04:48But still, ladies, don't press yourself so hard in the gym because things are still coming together down here.
04:55And I felt that immediately when I went back to the gym.
04:57I was like, wait, I got to pace myself because I don't feel all the way right.
05:01And a lot of my friends would tell me, like, girl, it took me a whole year to come back to, you know, feeling like myself again.
05:08And you have to be okay with that.
05:10You have to.
05:11You have to be okay with yourself.
05:13And it's a part of loving yourself, looking in the mirror, and saying that I'm enough.
05:16And here's the other part.
05:18If you're not getting that support at home, whoever you had that baby for, and I don't know why the Lord is putting this on my heart to say this.
05:26If you're not getting the support at home and somebody is looking at their watch and trying to figure out when they're going to get their wife or their girlfriend's body back,
05:36don't let that rush you.
05:38Don't let that rush you.
05:39You just gave birth to a whole baby, a whole life.
05:43Absolutely.
05:44And if that person can't accept you for this new you until you get back to you, if you choose to.
05:51Am I right, I mean?
05:52Excuse me.
05:54Are we in church?
05:55I'm just saying.
05:57Then you might need to take a look at something else.
05:59But don't allow people to pressure you to shrinking back or, you know, doing something that your body is not ready for.
06:08Workout.
06:09Yes, sis.
06:10Workout.
06:11Watch your diet because the baby needs you to have, you know, the baby needs you.
06:15If you're not healthy, then you can't be here to provide for the baby.
06:18Right.
06:18So make sure, especially as African-American women, we got to watch what we got to eat.
06:22We got to watch our cholesterol.
06:23We have to watch certain things.
06:25Sugar.
06:26Yes.
06:26Heart disease is huge in our community.
06:30Absolutely.
06:31You took us to church, sis.
06:32I wasn't trying to.
06:33Those were tweets and gems and all that.
06:36But they're real.
06:38Yes.
06:38How has your lifestyle shifted, right?
06:40Because you talked a lot about working out, too, right?
06:44And finding the time.
06:45We've seen you in the gym with the baby.
06:48So...
06:49Wrapped to my chest, by the way.
06:50Wrapped to your chest.
06:50Yes.
06:51How have you been able to juggle your lifestyle now with being a mom, being in the public
06:57lab, being an actress, being an entrepreneur, all of those things?
07:02It's not easy.
07:03I will say that.
07:04Nobody can prepare you.
07:05Nobody can say, oh, this is what's going to happen.
07:08There's no rule book.
07:08No.
07:10But at the same time, meditating in the morning.
07:13Do you actually meditate?
07:14Yes.
07:15Praying.
07:15And how long?
07:17I try and do it for 30 minutes.
07:19That's a long time.
07:19It should be an hour.
07:20But yes, I need to sit still.
07:22Because if you're not right mentally, then it's going to go all bad by 12 noon.
07:29You're going to have a nervous breakdown by 12 noon, especially with a newborn.
07:34But I feel like, okay, you can't go running all over the place like you used to before
07:38you had a baby.
07:40I was one of those people.
07:41You can ask my family on the front row.
07:43I'm hopping a flight.
07:44Oh, I'm there, girl.
07:45Oh, yeah.
07:45I got to get back to work.
07:46I got to do this.
07:47No, no, no, no.
07:48Pace yourself.
07:48Try and plan out your day.
07:51You're going to be washing bottles.
07:52You're going to have a baby here.
07:54Making your phone calls.
07:55Needing to sleep when the baby's asleep.
07:56Making sure you eat.
07:58No.
07:59You're the focus.
08:01You're the focus.
08:02And then let God do the rest.
08:04That's what you have to do.
08:05You have to let God do the rest.
08:06In the morning, I try to take time in the morning because once the day starts, it just gets
08:11away from you.
08:12And at night, after work, you just want to go to sleep.
08:14Exactly.
08:15I just want to lay down.
08:15And these are the times when you're supposed to be bonding with your baby.
08:20These are the times when you're supposed to.
08:21It was so sad.
08:23Like a couple of weeks after I'd had Gianna, I was sitting in bed with her and she was
08:28like looking at me.
08:29And I realized for a minute, I said, man, I haven't paused for a minute to receive my
08:34child's face and look her in the face and just tell her I love her and play with her
08:39and see how much she's grown because we don't like to live in the moment.
08:44We don't like to be present for some, well, for a lot of things in our life.
08:47And we're so busy looking ahead and trying to get this done and juggling all these things
08:52that we don't, we aren't present in the present.
08:55And we've got to work on that.
08:57That's something that I felt that I needed to do, especially once I have my daughter.
09:02I need to be able, I don't want to miss a moment with her.
09:05I don't want to miss a moment with her.
09:07I feel that.
09:08And have you experienced any backlash when it comes to your body image now, post-baby?
09:15Absolutely.
09:15Do you feel like people are like, ah, we don't want to book her for that or do that?
09:19Or you've gone on any castings and they're like, if you could lose like 20 pounds, you'll
09:23get this part.
09:24They don't say it.
09:25As a matter of fact, I posted a picture today and somebody literally said, stop eating.
09:30Are you serious?
09:30I could come for you, but I'm not.
09:33I'm going to scroll on past that.
09:37But that wasn't nice and it was unnecessary.
09:41And I just, with stuff like that, you got to look past it.
09:45Of course, you know, I would go out for auditions and certain things, especially when it said,
09:50you know, beautiful, sexy, fit, you know, African-American girl who this and that, who's sassy.
09:57I didn't feel fit when I read the breakdown.
10:01I was like, maybe I don't fit this part.
10:03But some said, no, go in for the role anyway.
10:07They might, regardless, it's what you bring to the character.
10:11You, what you do in your audition, what you do in that room can change everything.
10:15So I went out for it.
10:16You know, some things I got, some things that I didn't.
10:18And it's also changing the perception that you don't have to be a certain size to be fit.
10:24Exactly.
10:24I can be a size 16 and be fit.
10:26Yeah.
10:27You know what I'm saying?
10:28Exactly.
10:29Yeah.
10:29Yes, sis.
10:30You don't have to be a size zero or size two to be fit.
10:34We can be active.
10:35We can have healthy lifestyles and be vibrant people in this world without being a certain size.
10:40But it starts with self-love.
10:42If you don't see yourself as fit and beautiful and enough, you're going to allow crazy comments.
10:48You're going to allow people to treat you a certain way.
10:50And by the way, you teach people how to treat you.
10:52So if you don't love yourself, if you don't like spending time with yourself, if you don't think you're enough, then how do you expect somebody else to feel that you're enough?
11:02How do you expect someone else to want to spend all their time with you and look at you and say, no, baby, you are.
11:08No, don't wait for someone to convince you of who you already are.
11:13Absolutely.
11:14But sis, I mean, you are strong and we see you out in this world, but you know, you're human as well.
11:21When you see comments like that saying, stop eating, you're fat, go to the gym.
11:26I mean, that has to take a toll on you.
11:28What do you do to kind of counterbalance that?
11:31Because, I mean, that, I mean, you're being strong right now, but you have to shed some tears or feel a certain way.
11:40If someone, if people are coming at you all the time like that, it kind of chips away at your armor.
11:44It literally just happened recently.
11:47I was in Target.
11:49Target Boutique?
11:50Target Boutique, darling.
11:51I love me.
11:52And I was about to go in the ring out and someone passed and what happens kind of often is people don't necessarily come up to you.
12:01They just say your name really, really loud, hoping you'll turn around.
12:04Oh, that's Latoya Luckett.
12:06I said, that's Latoya Luckett.
12:11And in your mind, you're like, yeah, it is.
12:12Yeah, and I'm normally a person that, like, I love people.
12:15So I'm a people person.
12:16I turn around, hey, hey, what's going on?
12:18And then he started talking to one of the other employees and said, dang, why's she fat?
12:25I didn't know she was that fat.
12:26And the other employee was like, well, she just had a baby, damn.
12:30So he was like, but she's still fat.
12:33That's crazy.
12:34In your face, like you're right there.
12:35I'm scanning my product out.
12:37And he is that close from me and said these things.
12:41And on the inside, I fought with it.
12:44I fought with it.
12:45But I allowed my, not confident side, but my real side to kick in.
12:50Like, don't let that do that to you.
12:52Don't let those words hurt you in that way.
12:55You just had a baby.
12:56You're going to bounce back.
12:58He's going to be liking your photos in about two months.
13:01Pay him no mind.
13:02He's miserable.
13:03Maybe he doesn't like himself.
13:04Maybe he had a bad day.
13:05All these things kick into my mind.
13:07It stung.
13:09The beat stung me.
13:10It did.
13:11But at the same time, I was able to remove that stinger by my words of encouragement to myself.
13:19And knowing the truth about myself.
13:21But it did hurt.
13:22Just like that, what I saw, stop eating.
13:24First of all, I wasn't eating at the time.
13:26So how dare you say stop eating?
13:27I'm not eating right now.
13:28I'm actually hungry.
13:29Right.
13:29Oh, sis.
13:30You know what I mean?
13:30It must be hard, too, because you're in the public eye.
13:32It is.
13:33Because I have a nook if you buck spirit.
13:35You do.
13:36And I might be like, ah, I'm going to have to tell you about yourself.
13:39But then I wouldn't be all over the shade room or something.
13:42You would.
13:44And there's some things I don't want to give attention to.
13:46If I give the attention to it, then a lot of times that's what people want anyway.
13:51So I just try and look past it.
13:54I mean, it hurts.
13:56You know, I haven't always been nice to myself either.
13:59I'm like, God dang, can this come off?
14:01Like, what is this?
14:02I've done that.
14:03I'm human.
14:04But at the same time, I know what I just put my body through.
14:09And even if I hadn't given birth to a baby, if I'm having a month where I'm going to eat the pasta, I want it.
14:17I want the Pop-Tarts, too.
14:19I'm going to eat it, dog.
14:21You have to indulge sometimes as well.
14:22You have to indulge sometimes.
14:24You know what I mean?
14:25I'm not going to beat myself up because something made me, I enjoyed something at the time.
14:31It didn't hurt nobody else.
14:33I am enjoying it.
14:34You know what I mean?
14:34Are there any tips and tricks that you do to stay on a healthy diet or lifestyle while you're kind of navigating these feelings of snapping back or getting back to a body weight or image that you're more comfortable with?
14:49Discipline.
14:50Because there's been times, especially if I have early call times for Greenleaf or something like that where I'm like, okay, first of all, I've got to find out who's going to watch my child.
14:59So, you know, I have to make sure she's taken care of and then say, okay, it's 30 minutes.
15:05You can sit on your Instagram and scroll for 30 to 45 to an hour sometimes and you don't even realize it.
15:11I can take that time and go to the gym.
15:13And go to the gym.
15:15Get on the treadmill and scroll.
15:17You can scroll and walk.
15:19Be careful.
15:20I wouldn't advise it.
15:21But you can take those 30 minutes and actually go and do a little bit of cardio.
15:27If you see the food there or if you're, you know, making sure to with your environment.
15:32Like me, I love Chick-fil-A.
15:34I love Chick-fil-A.
15:36I'm a Texan.
15:37I love my fried food.
15:38I got to get my hands on it.
15:41Keep driving.
15:42Or if I'm there, don't get the chicken.
15:45Get the grilled chicken.
15:46Get a salad.
15:47I hate salads.
15:48But sometimes a saddle will have to do.
15:52But I think if you use the discipline and the self-control, that definitely helps out a lot.
15:59And I'm honestly seeing the most results because I'm not going for everything that I desire at the moment.
16:09Discipline.
16:10Discipline.
16:10I like it.
16:11Okay, so we're at the beauty carnival at the 25th anniversary of Essence Festival.
16:16So we have to talk about beauty.
16:17Let's do it.
16:18Please tell me about your beauty regimen.
16:21Like, you know, we see you on television.
16:23You're always looking fly.
16:24Your hair is always laid.
16:26All of those things.
16:27What are some of your, like, favorite beauty tips and tricks and advice?
16:33I will say this.
16:35Water, water, and more water.
16:39It's something that I'm working on.
16:40I didn't, you know, you get busy with your day and you forget to drink water sometimes.
16:44So I think water definitely does a body good.
16:48It flushes out your system.
16:49It keeps your skin nice.
16:51Keeps you hydrated.
16:53So I think that is something that I would definitely say to be more conscious of, your water intake.
16:59Washing your face.
17:00Sis, I know you're tired.
17:03I know you're tired, sis.
17:05You don't want to wash that makeup off.
17:07Wash your face.
17:08You want them lashes to actually last until tomorrow or for the rest of Essence weekend.
17:13But it's a way to grab that makeup wipe and get on around there and still clean your face and make sure that your pores are good and moisturize.
17:22That's another thing.
17:23We forget to do, you know, a good lotion to moisturize our face and a sunblock.
17:30Sunscreen.
17:30Hey, y'all.
17:32Sunscreen.
17:33Sunblock.
17:33SPF.
17:34I know black don't crack.
17:34Are y'all wearing sunscreen?
17:37Do it.
17:37I know black don't crack, baby, but don't test it.
17:40Get your sunscreen together.
17:42Black will crack if you don't wear your sunscreen, so wear it.
17:45But do you have, like, a regimen of, like, you know, eight to ten products?
17:50Are you, like, washing your face, then doing your toner, then doing the serum, then doing the this, and then doing the eye cream?
17:55It's a whole moment.
17:58So, basically, I have a natural product that I use.
18:01It's a wonderful bar of soap with all these awesome, delicious herbs.
18:05What is it?
18:06Put us on.
18:06Oh, my gosh.
18:07Um, it's a, it's a booth, it's a spa that I go to in Atlanta.
18:10It's called Flesh.
18:12And they have different products, and they're all organic, natural.
18:16And I used to have cystic acne.
18:18I don't know if anybody has fought with acne before, but I had terrible acne to where it was here.
18:26The only thing that I, the only part of my face that didn't have acne was around my eyes.
18:31So, I know also how it feels to have confidence issues with your skin.
18:35Um, so that's why I think I've always taken great care of my skin.
18:40And it was moments where people would be like, did you wash your face?
18:42Yes, I washed my face.
18:44I'm just breaking out.
18:46So, I had to find a product.
18:46Do not come for me unless I send for you.
18:48I had to find a product that worked for me and didn't strip my skin.
18:52Um, so I do my soap.
18:55I wash that.
18:56Um, and then I use my astringent toner.
18:58You can, good old witch hazel.
19:01Witch hazel, ladies.
19:03Witch hazel works.
19:04Um, witch hazel.
19:06And then I use, um, it's a moisturizer.
19:09Really, it's everywhere now.
19:10Is it clear feel?
19:11Clear?
19:12Clear feel?
19:13Cinch.
19:14Set a feel.
19:15Set a feel.
19:17Am I promoting it right now?
19:18It's good for sensitive skin.
19:19It is.
19:20It's great for sensitive skin.
19:21So, I do my set of feel.
19:22And then I take rose water.
19:25Rose water is amazing.
19:26And do a little splash.
19:28Makes me feel like I just ran through a waterfall.
19:30Yes.
19:31Yeah.
19:31And then I go to bed.
19:34And I wrap my hair.
19:35Even if it's not done.
19:37Let me tell you why you should still wrap your hair.
19:39I learned that a lot of my breakouts here came from oils of my hair being dirty.
19:44So, make sure you put your wrap on to keep the hair off your face at night.
19:47If you have oily hair, if it's dirty, or even sometimes people have clean hair and it's
19:52still oily, if you're rolling around on it and it lands on your face for a few hours
19:56a night, those oils are getting into your pores, clogging up your pores, and causing
20:01the acne.
20:02Yes.
20:03Facts.
20:03I love that.
20:03So, I wrap my hair, silk scarf, every single night, regardless if it's dirty.
20:07Amazing.
20:08Thank you for putting this on.
20:09But before you leave the stage, we need to know what is going on in your life, what's
20:14coming up, what can we look forward to, how can we support you?
20:18Tell us.
20:18Yeah.
20:19Okay.
20:19So, I just put a single out like three days ago.
20:22What?
20:22You got it.
20:23Yay.
20:24It's called Feeling.
20:26It's produced by my, it's written by myself and Tank.
20:28Where are the Tank fans at?
20:30Anything.
20:30Tank.
20:31Woo.
20:31All the ladies are like, yeah.
20:33He can't keep his shirt on, that guy?
20:35Yes.
20:35Okay, him.
20:36So, Tank and I wrote a song called Feeling.
20:39It's out on all platforms right now, ready for streaming, ready for download.
20:44Go and get it.
20:44What's the vibe?
20:45Is it like a sexy love song?
20:46It's a summer groove.
20:46Is it a bop?
20:47Like, what is it?
20:48It's a little bop, right?
20:49It's a little summer groove.
20:50Okay.
20:50With a little hot sauce on it.
20:52Yes.
20:53This one over, yes.
20:54You like it, download it now.
20:56Everybody hold your phones up.
20:58Go to your iTunes.
20:59We are here at Essence Festival, and what we do is support each other.
21:02So, make sure you download that song and support our good sister, LaToya.
21:06And I don't have a record deal.
21:07This is my first time putting out a song independently on my own.
21:10And we have been, you are in the soundtrack of our lives, of us growing up.
21:16So, we know your voice.
21:18We love it.
21:18And we thank you for being here.
21:20Let's give it up for LaToya Luckett-Walker.
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