Geena Davis Looks Gorgeous In Makeup-Free Snap – She Once Admitted She ‘Desperately Wanted To Be Pretty’

Mar 02, 2023

Geena Davis is a beloved comedic actress and activist best known for the films “Thelma and Louise,” “A League of Their Own” and “The Accidental Tourist” among others. She is the recipient of an Academy Award and Golden Globe, as well as nominations for a British Academy Film Award and Primetime Emmy. 

In 2004, Davis created the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media which works with the entertainment industry to increase roles for women in films and on television. In 2019, Davis was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her efforts in fighting gender bias in the media. 

The actress was born Virginia Elizabeth Davis on Jan. 21, 1956, in Wareham, Massachusetts. She graduated from Boston College in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in drama. The star then went on to sign with Zoli modeling agency and worked as a model before becoming a Hollywood actress. Her debut film was “Tootsie” in 1982, which is now considered a cult classic. Davis continued to appear in many films throughout the 1980s and received generally good reviews from critics. 

By the late ’90s, Davis saw her career winding down and later said she received fewer roles once she was in her 40s. During this time she took a break from Hollywood and focused on other interests. One of these passions was archery, and Davis was so good she nearly qualified for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. 

Despite her various achievements and particularly her stint in modeling, it’s hard to believe the Hollywood star found it challenging to believe she was beautiful and struggled with self-love. 

While it’s easy to see why Davis has had such a stellar career now, back in high school, she had a tough time – literally, at six feet tall – fitting in. She told Bang Showbiz:

“I was tall from a baby. I was always the tallest kid in class, male or female, right up until senior year. And I found it very stressful to stand out so much, because the last thing I wanted to do was stand out. It’s not like kids teased me – I just felt it. I didn’t fit in. But everybody has their thing in high school, their personal torture.”

From a young age, Davis knew she wanted to be an actor. “I was 3 years old, and how I even knew it was a job, I have no idea, because we were only allowed to watch Disney movies, which were animated,” she told The Guardian. 

After graduating, she pursued modeling in the hopes of making the leap to the big screen. While being a model wasn’t her strongest suit, her strategy worked out. 

“I didn’t ever become famous as a model. My one magazine cover was New Jersey Monthly, and you couldn’t see my face – I had a huge hat on. But that didn’t matter, because, when they were casting ‘Tootsie,’ the role that I ended up playing needed to be in her underwear in a couple of scenes, and they thought, Well, let’s just check if there are any models who can act. And my agents said, ‘Yes, we have one!’” she said.

Davis would go on to star in some of the most iconic films of the ’80s and ’90s, but found that once she had “a four in front of my age, I fell off the cliff. I really did,” she lamented.

Davis’ personal life has been marked with lots of ups and downs. She married three times – once to actor Jeff Goldblum for four years – and had three children with her partner Reza Jarrahy, whom she was with from 1998 to 2017. She gave birth to her first child at the age of 46 and twins at 48. 

“I’m really grateful that I had children in my 40s because I knew I’d be more involved. … I wanted to wait, (and) was hoping that I could still have kids. But I thought, ‘I’ll be more evolved the longer I wait… I didn't have a lot of self-esteem but I was really determined that my children would have self-esteem,” she told Loose Women.

She opened up to The Times about her own struggle with self-esteem and admitted she “desperately wanted to be pretty but wasn’t able to think I was.” 

“I just thought I had figured out some magical way of holding my body so they would think I was pretty,” she remarked.

“I can be beautiful, where I actually accept it, when I’m all dressed up, makeup and hair and everything. Then I think, ‘Oh yeah, I’m not so bad’. But it’s a struggle.”

Now 67, the star might feel she only looks her best all glammed up but that certainly isn’t the case. She showed off her natural beauty when she was spotted barefaced and makeup-free at the Los Angeles International Airport in March 2019. Davis looked gorgeous and happy as she chatted with staff there.

She revealed age put her beauty struggle in perspective. 

“It’s got much better over the years. I feel like I’ve got more attractive with every decade. Either I have or I’m feeling better about myself. Which is great,” she said.

What are your thoughts on Geena Davis’ struggle to accept herself? Have you ever felt the same? Let us know and be sure to pass this on to all your beautiful friends and family, too.