That Time When Tamera Mowry-Housley Said She “Rather Have People Dislike Me For Who I Truly Am Than Who I’m Pretending To Be”

Tamera Mowry-Housley, along with her twin sister Tia Mowry-Hardrict, has always been a beacon of light in a very eccentric industry, to say the least. The actress, who made a name in Hollywood as the smart twin Tamera Campbell on the Emmy-winning series Sister, Sister, which lasted for six seasons, has attributed her wholesome and authentic persona to her upbringing.

Since then, Tamera has starred in several TV movies, such as Seventeen Again, The Hot Chick, and Twitches, and TV series, such as Strong Medicine and Roommates. But, it wasn’t until 2013 when she landed a position on the talk show The Real that fans (and critics) started to truly get a grasp of Tamera outside of her unforgettable role on Sister, Sister. That was a good and bad thing for the star.

On one end, she was able to evolve in thought and her version of the human experience right before those who knew her as the responsible brainiac. But, on the other side of the spectrum, she was grilled under the heated lamp of Hollywood’s spotlight for every little thing that critics didn’t agree with.

“Our business is based on rejection, being liked, and people telling you how to do things,” Tamera said in a candid interview with podcast The School of Greatness.

The trauma of being in an industry that picks you apart from multiple sides has caused Tamera, even at the age of 43, to feel like she’s not good enough. She admits it has taken years for her to uproot and unlearn so many toxic things that she has been conditioned to believe.

“So, they will take what you say, put it out of context to fit their narrative of who they think you are,” Tamera said of her time on The Real. “That is what happened for years on that show. Being on a talk show, and you can take it or leave it, it is not a safe place and I wish someone would have told me that because then I would have been prepared. I was not.”

Although rough in the beginning, the talk show has equipped Tamera to think outside of the box. Instead of taking everyone’s opinions as fact, she chooses to not bound herself to that opinion by agreeing to it if it’s not true. In addition, she chooses to not take things personally, but still set up boundaries to protect her peace.

“I learned that it is ok not to be perfect. It is ok to be vulnerable and it’s ok to speak your truth,” Tamera continued. “I rather have people dislike me for who I truly am than who I’m pretending to be.”

When she does take things personally she understands that it may be an insecurity that she was unaware of. In order to resolve the insecurity, she analytically breaks down where the root pain comes from and proceeds to do an inner work, which involves either actively working on the things that’s bothering her, such as going to therapy or exercising for better health, or figuring out whether the criticism really has validity. If not, she moves on.

Watch The Interview Below:

Lightening up the deep conversation, Tamera also revealed something that has eased years of debate and knowing fans’ minds.

“Tia actually played me in Twitches,” Tamera confirmed. “I was doing Strong Medicine and I couldn’t make [it]. In one scene, the party scene. But, our fans knew it. They were like — she had a mask on because it was Halloween — they were like, ‘That’s not Tamera, that’s Tia!'”

So, there you have it. Tamera is gifted indeed, but she’s human just like us — proof, she sometimes is boggled by the fickleness of social media. It’s a refreshing take on the star straight from the source without the interpretation and self-projections that riddle social media.