“Sweet Lady” singer Tyrese Gibson has long been regarded as a sex-symbol over the course of his illustrious career. However, the 41-year-old recently revealed that growing up; he was viewed as less than due to his dark complexion, which left him teased and outcast by many.
During his upcoming episode of TV One’s Uncensored, which will air this Sunday, the Fast & Furious actor explained how colorism impacted him.
“I had never felt a piece of handsome,” he admitted. “I had never felt a piece of being cute. I had never heard compliments throughout my childhood. I never got any attention from the ladies.”
The Grammy-nominated star said that the constant criticism regarding his skin tone left him with low self-esteem regarding his looks.
“I caught every joke in the dark skin community ever. I was Black, burnt, tarp. I was all teeth and eyes. I was blurple — Black and purple, and I just never felt attractive, ever.”
Despite the detrimental effects of colorism from such a young age, Gibson’s blossoming career allowed him a means of working through his past trauma.
“And after I had that moment, it did more for my confidence than you could ever imagine because it was a high that I would hope to experience for the rest of my life,” he said.
