The 2009 Oscar-winning film Preciousโbased on the novel Push by author Sapphireโreintroduced us to Claireece Jones, a 16-year-old, broken-and-battered girl living in the hard-knock streets of 1980s New York. Playing the role of that groundbreaking character happened to be a then-26-year-old Gabourey Sidibe, whose iconic embodiment of the protagonist catapulted her career to new heights. Although the adaptation made the starlet the face of many memes that still live in cyberland today, this Harlem-raised entertainer is now known for so much more than the chicken-stealing scene at the top of social mediaโs joke list. These are quotes from Gabourey Sidibe that belong on a T-shirt!
After her debut in Precious, Sidibeโs momentum continued with celebrated portrayals in the 2011 comedy Tower Heist, a box-office hit directed by Brett Ratner, as Odessa, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchukโs FX phenomenon American Horror Story as Queenie (2013-2018), and Lee Danielsโ uber-successful series Empire as the honorable Becky (2015-2020), among others. Each production saw Sidibe in an impactful light that shined on and off the big screen. The now 41-year-old powerfully aided in putting plus size women in position in Hollywood, beating the odds and proving that she deserved a seat at every table readโeven if that meant pulling up her own chair.
In 2016, she crushed body cruelty by posing for Lane Bryantโs 2016 ad campaign, #ThisBody Is Made to Shine, alongside fellow actress Danielle Brooks and models Ashley Graham, Candice Huffine, and Alessandra Garcia. The full-figured clothing giantโs notable marketing run aimed to cultivate body-positive conversations and depict how these controversial celebrities overcame the shame often attached to the negativity surrounding self-expression in the curvy community. Sidibeโs participation in the fashion-forward course of action was quite monumental, as it highlighted her bravely embracing what society deemed insecurities in the brandโs all-black lingerie.
The following year, in 2017, Sidibe released her memoir, โThis Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare,โ where she detailed everything from her upbringing in the Big Apple and pre-acting days as a phone sex operator to unapologetically coming into her (fat) womanhood and breaking into a superficial industry that (ultimately) changed her life and the lives of those inspired by her might to conquer its adversities. All of these years later, the married mom-of-two is still respected for showing that sheโs literally a movement by herself, defying social norms and proudly trusting her talent to be a staple for the fluffies who may have forgotten that weโve always been the stuff.
From movies and books to interviews and Instagram posts, Sidibe has had some memorable one-liners (or more) that have encouraged us all and prompted us to own our sexiness (thanks to her steamy love scene in that one Empire episode, wink wink). Take a look at our favorites below!
Quotes from Gabourey Sidibe We Use as Daily Affirmations
1. โIโve gone through real, real periods where I hated my body. I hated it. It felt like an enemy. Butโฆ my body has carried me through my entire life. You know what I did? I just started loving my body out loud.โ
2. โEven if other people think they see you, they donโt. You see you. Your opinion matters more than anything.โ
via YouTube (Author Events)
3. โBe the Cabbage Patch Doll you want to see in the world.โ
4. โI could lose weight. That is a fact. But I am dope at any and every size. I am smart. I am funny. I am talented. I am gorgeous. I am Black. I am fat. Sometimes Iโm a b*tch. At all times, I am a bad b*tch.โ
via โThis Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stareโ (Goodreads)
5. โDonโt let anyone else take away your joy. If they donโt want to be with you or around you, let them go. Pick up your sh*t and keep going. You came into this world by yourself, and the next personโs lungs donโt help you breathe.โ
via โThis Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stareโ (Goodreads)
6. โThere have been curvy women since the dawn of time. To say that we are in now is rude โcause it says that we wonโt be in tomorrow.โ
via YouTube (Entertainment Tonight)
7. โIโm really sick and tired of sparking conversation. Iโm just living my life.โ
via Entertainment Tonight
8. โI know Iโm fat, you know Iโm fat. Why do we have to keep talking about it?โ
9. โAs long as you have a body, no matter what that body looks like, people will feel like they can talk about it. My body isnโt any differentโฆ just because itโs a little bigger and itโs in the limelight. Like, people are talking about junior high schoolersโ bodies, too. And itโs like unfair. Can you mind your own body?โ
via YouTube (Cityline)
10. โI donโt have a bucket list. I just, like, say โyesโ to life. No bucket list for me. Iโm just floating.โ
via YouTube (On Demand Entertainment)
11. I just want to thank my God for ordering my steps. For everything that my life was and everything that it is now.โ
via YouTube (NAACP Image Awards Speech)
12. Iโm super cool, Iโm really cute, and I smell good.โ
via YouTube (Elvis Duran Show)
13. You have to live with yourself every day, so you have to make sure that your brain, your emotions, your sanity is in check.โ
via YouTube (Elvis Duran Show)
14. โI get a rap for being confident, but I have to put my confidence on multiple times a day. Itโs like lipstick. You know what I mean? Likeโฆ lipstick will wear off, confidence will wear off, sanity will wear off. You have to work at it, and I worked.โ
via YouTube (Elvis Duran Show)
As you may know, itโs been 16 years since Sidibe stepped on the scene in Precious. However, almost two decades later, sheโs still making an impact. We are so proud of our sister in plush.
Keep leaving your mark on the world, Gabby. We are rooting for you โ we are all rooting for you!
Which of these quotes from Gabourey Sidibe were your favorites? Let us know in the comments!
The authorโs content and opinions have not been pre-reviewed, approved or endorsed by Discover.
