Photo credit: US Weekly
“A different version of what someone else’s happily ever after can look like” is how Gabrielle Union describes how she wants her near ending, and award-winning show, Being Mary Jane to leave as its legacy. However, it also seems that she may have applied it to her own life as well. After moving away from what she’s describes as being her “mean girl” past after her trainer, A.J. Johnson, confronted her over the behavior during a party, Union now plays Mary Jane Paul on Being Mary Jane. In Union’s real life, she’s got the job of her dreams, the man of her dreams, and has recently released her autobiography, We’re Going to Need More Wine, dubbed by The Root to be the Best Book of the Year. In her book, Gabrielle gets candid about racism, sexual assault, rape and her experience of being rapped while working at a Payless store, at the age of 19. Union describes her book as being filled with “the good, the bad, and the WTF.” Her book features personal stories, letters and reflections on a range of topics related to what is being popularly discussed in today’s contemporary landscape. Union has endlessly brought forth her realness, sharing her and famous NBA star, Dwayne Wade, struggle to conceive, and her early life experience of growing up witnessing a dysfunctional relationship between her parents.
Gabrielle Union is a force to be reckoned with. It seems that, throughout her book, you can see the love and compassion brought forth by such a powerful woman. In addition to this, it’s crucial to readers everywhere that she is not ashamed of her moments of weakness. When she talks about her experiences being raped, and having a hard time conceiving, she opens herself up as a person to the reader. This personal approach is helpful for girls that may not follow the stereotype of the typical “strong woman” and let’s those women know, that through persistence, you can achieve your own personal strength.