America Ferrera is on the cover of Redbook this month. The photos are fine, if not a little sedated. I always feel like they don’t know what to do with America in fashion shoots, which is weird because she knows how to dress herself nicely. Plus, what is that bib ruffle doing on the front of her skirt? It looks like a caterpillar trying to camouflage itself. Anyway, I think she’s promoting the second season of Superstore, a comedy she’s produced and stars in. True story, I just started watching Superstore last week. I got some clip via a meme and it was enough to make me check it out. It’s cute. The characters are the show, Mark McKinney’s Glenn makes me laugh just by walking into the scene (although, I must confess, I am a HUGE The Kids in The Hall fan). Although a fairly strong ensemble, America is the star. She does well, too, she’s funny but also the center around which the others circle. She points out in this interview that her Superstore character, Amy, is the opposite of Betty from Ugly Betty, which I didn’t realize. Amy has resigned herself to accept the life she has where Betty, in America’s words, “was a go-getter.” When put like that, it’s pretty easy to figure out why America identifies with Betty more.

On finding balance:
When I was younger, I felt like everything was make or break. In my career and my relationships, there was a right way or a wrong way—and I had to fit into the right box. I’ve let go of those narrow definitions and found a balance.
 
On stepping up and taking chances in Hollywood:
We talk about a lot of things we want to see more women doing. We want more women producers, more women writers, more women directors– and you can only say that so many times before you say, ‘I’m a woman. What’s stopping me from doing this?’ I’ve had to ask myself: Why not me?
 
On representing women and Latinas while staying true to herself:
It is true that I represent women, and it is true that I represent Latinas, but it’s also true that I’m myself. My successes and my failures don’t have to have this enormous weight on them; they can just be mine. Whatever moves you forward, focus on it. Whatever handicaps you or paralyzes you, that’s the thing to get rid of.
 
On how there’s more to a woman’s value than her appearance:
I grew up believing a lot of things about myself that I had to unlearn– things that pertain to being a good woman, things about my weight or height… As women, you’re taught that your value is all about your appearance, not your ideas and your tenacity and your courage and your bravery and your adventurous spirit. Look, I love getting dressed up and looking beautiful. But that’s one tiny piece of me.

[From Redbook]

I love what she says about representing women and Latinas but also holding herself accountable for her successes and failures. We’ve all felt the weight of trying to achieve someone else’s success just because we ticked the same boxes as them. Something else America discussed was that all her current projects have one thing in common, “They scare me. I’ve begun to recognize that if it scares me in a good way — if there’s a part that’s fun and exciting and a little frightening — that’s the direction to go in.”  This is where I fall short. I really don’t do enough that scares me.

I’m particularly interested in what America said about how women are raised to see their value through beauty. I’m raising a young lady and I keep thinking I am doing everything right but she is so focused on beauty – hers, those around her. She doesn’t seem to care much about mine but aging is a big topic for her when it comes to me. Obviously, I have had my hand in this but I can’t figure out how. My dilemma at present is bras – do we still suggest to girls to wear them or do we let them make that choice totally on their own? I know that sounds silly but I honestly cannot figure out when I am making a suggestion or passing on some ingrained, antiquated value that society mandated of me.

America is staying very busy with her activism and producing. Her bilingual web series Gente-fied just went to Sundance. Plus, and I am far more excited about this than any grown person should be, they’ve just gone into pre-production on How to Train Your Dragon III, in which she plays Astrid. *squee!*

Photo credit: Jeff Lipsky/Redbook