Imani Bashir of ESSENCE recently profiled Naomi, Bianca Belair and Ember Moon. All three WWE Superstars reflected on their careers and their love of wrestling. They discussed their experiences as black women who are some of WWE’s best wrestlers. Belair talked about some of the obstacles she’s faced, even at a young age. “’Growing up, I was always told what I needed to look like to perform best and be accepted,'” said Belair via Bashir. In the interview, Belair said she felt like others tried to limit her ambition. “‘I felt like I needed to shrink myself to soothe other people’s insecurities,'” said Belair via Bashir.
Moon also discussed how it feels to be cheered by the fans. “‘It made me swell with such pride that even though I’m the one in the ring, doing the moves, to have other people feel that elation, there’s no feeling like it in the world,'” said Moon. In both cases, per Bashir, being a WWE superstar has allowed Moon and Belair to embrace their true selves. Naomi echoed the sentiments of Moon and Belair, and shared that her “Feel the glow” catchphrase came from The Last Dragon. ” It reminded me of so many spaces I’ve been in where I was ‘the only’ and felt like I needed to adapt to what everyone else was doing instead of just walking to the beat of my own drum,'” said Naomi via Bashir.
Ultimately, all three women emphasized the importance of being yourself. “‘I just want to be who I am and I’m going to show up for the people who I am for and represent for them,'” said Belair.
RELATED: Bianca Belair Talks Environment Of WWE NXT Going Live, State Of Women’s Division
