Brie Larson reveals she felt ‘ugly’ and like an ‘outcast’ for much of her life

Brie Larson is getting candid about her past battle with self-esteem. 

In a recent interview, the Captain Marvel star revealed that she struggled with ‘feeling ugly and like an outcast,’ for ‘so much’ of her life.

The acclaimed actress continued to share that it took her awhile to accept herself for who she is, and to be ‘totally comfortable’ in her own skin, as she marked her progress. 

Transformation: Brie Larson, 31, reveals that she felt ‘ugly,’ and like an ‘outcast’ for much of her life. In a recent interview, the Captain Marvel actress discussed her battle with self-esteem and thoughts on a beauty standard; seen in 2019

She started young: The actress seen in 2002 at age 13 at the Snow Dogs premiere

She started young: The actress seen in 2002 at age 13 at the Snow Dogs premiere

Speaking about her thoughts on beauty, the 31-year-old said she does not believe a ‘beauty standard’ exists, as she tried to encourage others to feel like they have the ‘freedom to express themselves.’ 

Talking to W magazine she said , ‘I don’t believe that there is a beauty standard. I struggled with feeling ugly and like an outcast for so much of my life. And so I really, really feel for that.’ 

The Oscar winner continued, ‘It took me a long time to be able to be totally comfortable with myself. The thing that has brought me solace is knowing that I can be whoever I want to be with myself.’

Speaking about physical well-being and safety risks when it comes to marginalized bodies, she said: 

‘What breaks my heart is to think of people in the world who don’t feel that they have safety within their own bodies. That, to me, is my ultimate goal in life: to do whatever it is that I can so people have the freedom to express themselves and be exactly who it is that they want to be—whatever that is—knowing that that can also change.’

In control: The 31-year-old shared that she finds comfort in 'knowing that I can be whoever I want to be with myself,' as she spoke about finding beauty within herself; pictured October 2020

 In control: The 31-year-old shared that she finds comfort in ‘knowing that I can be whoever I want to be with myself,’ as she spoke about finding beauty within herself; pictured October 2020

The Avengers actress continued to talk about how she balances work and self-care, especially amid the pandemic. 

‘It is nerve-wracking. I’ve had to learn how to place more boundaries with work and my self-care. It just feels like everything can be so out of whack.’

She said that she religiously starts to wind down ‘once the sun starts to set,’ using that as a way to consistently carve out time for herself each day. 

‘It’s my cue to start cooking dinner, go into the garden—that’s how it starts. I’ve been burning frankincense in the house too, because it not only smells great, but it’s great for cleansing the air in the house; it’s anti-microbial,’ she said. 

Self-care: Larson shared that her self-care time begins as soon as the sun starts to set, which cues her to turn off work mode

Self-care: Larson shared that her self-care time begins as soon as the sun starts to set, which cues her to turn off work mode

Additionally, Brie also chills out by entertaining her mind and body with a film or some body movement,  as she says they help her differentiate between work and play. 

‘I’ve also been trying to watch a movie every night. Sometimes I’ll do some breathing exercises, or I’ll meditate if I’ve had a particularly stressful day. For me, it’s about what can I do that is transitional out of work into decompressing time, because when you’re at home all day I feel it’s very easy to let everything stick and hang on to you. It’s about knowing what’s the routine and what’s the ritual to get out of that.’

She adds that sometimes it only takes a few minutes to reset her ‘mind and body.’    

‘Even just washing my face, putting on moisturizer, and doing five minutes of breathing exercises can help. I mean, we’re talking about 10 minutes.’

Minutes to: She maintains that it only takes about 10 minutes to reset her 'mind and body,' as she credits breathing exercises, light movement or unwinding with a movie as crucial to her wellbeing

Minutes to: She maintains that it only takes about 10 minutes to reset her ‘mind and body,’ as she credits breathing exercises, light movement or unwinding with a movie as crucial to her wellbeing 

She continued, ‘Before I used to be like, ‘I don’t have time for self-care.’ It’s doesn’t take as long as we think it does. You can do longer forms—of course, I am a big fan of that—but even for people who feel they are too busy, you can take 10 minutes to do great things for the mind and body.’

Larson shared that in the beginning of the pandemic, it was ‘very easy’ for her to ‘work through the weekends,’ as she credits mandating time for herself as essential. 

During quarantine, Larson started a YouTube channel, using it to divulge her daily truths and connect with her fans daily. 

She also uses music as a way to unwind, frequently riffing on her guitars and singing both cover and original songs for her 6.7M followers on social media. 

Calming croon: Brie frequently takes to social media to share her musical talents as she sings covers of popular songs and plays guitar

Calming croon: Brie frequently takes to social media to share her musical talents as she sings covers of popular songs and plays guitar