Taraji P. Henson's Wig-Free Shoot Is So Powerful

We, the fashion watchers, magazine readers, and art lovers are often treated to some pretty incredible photo shoots. Exotic locations, extravagant props, next-level makeup... the visuals that photographers, stylists, and creative directors put together can be stunning. But profound, moving power is decidedly harder to capture. Famed photographer Bruce Weber was up for the challenge when he shot Taraji P. Henson without her wig for CR Fashion Book. The results are stunning.

In the article, "Taraji P. Henson On The Ghost Of Truth And The Superpower Of Art," penned by the actress herself, she explains how the wig-free idea came about. "I’m trying on the clothes and the silk scarf I have on my head slips off, and I say, 'Hey, look at my cornrows, aren’t they beautiful?,'" she writes. "Bruce Weber is standing there and he goes, 'We’ll shoot that.'" Henson was initially reluctant, but what drove her to take the leap was, as the title suggests, art.

"I just decided to trust the artist’s vision," she says. "As an actress that’s what we do. We are vulnerable every time we put our art out there. Underneath that hair is my soul, and it’s me, it’s mine."

And that soul? Wow.

Weber wasn't wrong: Those cornrows are beautiful. But for someone who says she wears wigs constantly, taking off that "security blanket" for the world to see is incredibly courageous. As pointed out by Mic, she posted photos from the shoot on her Instagram, and she called the experience "amazing and freeing" in one caption.

If anyone knows how to keep it real, it's Henson. She said on Instagram, "As women we put sooooo much emphasis on our hair!!! As if hair defines beauty?!" Preach. The way she makes it sound, it's ridiculous for anyone to think that their hair is what makes them beautiful. And honestly, as hard as that might be to accept, it's true. We're more than our locks, our makeup, our bodies.

Henson was also photographed with basketball player Michael Beasley, and a particularly moving photo shows him cradling her in her dressing room, her unused wig sitting to the side.

Beyond these beautiful photos, the article itself is without a doubt worth a read. Eloquent, powerful, and moving, Henson has things to say, and I, for one, am thrilled to listen.