"I Encourage You Not To Do What I Did": Dawn Richard On What Was Behind Drastic Transformation

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If you’ve ever followed the music or career of singer Dawn Richard, then you know that her ever-changing look has been a big part of the conversation for the past few years. Around 2013, after her initial run with Danity Kane, her short stint with Diddy-Dirty Money and around the time she reunited with DK, Richard started posting images on Instagram of herself and some followers commented that she looked unrecognizable. For some time she wouldn’t comment on people’s questions about her face until at one point she’d had enough of people’s interest in it. Richard shut everyone down who tried to say she looked better before the alleged work.

“Same people saying this ‘she was prettier before’ crap are the people that said I was a tranny in 2009,” she said on Instagram in 2014. “Make up your mind. Meanwhile I’m really a cyborg (I see this post went over damn near everyone’s head) lmao.”

But it looks like Richard may be warming up to the idea of talking about the work she’s had done, or better yet, what was behind it, in an effort to encourage others not to go down the same path. In a recent post, Richard opened up a little bit more about her decision to have work done on her face after finding herself feeding into the idea that she needed to have a certain type of look to succeed as an artist. She shared her message along with an old picture of herself from her early Danity Kane days:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbXMFulDmiB/?hl=en&taken-by=dawnrichard

Richard said she “was told I wasn’t the ‘right’ beauty or the ‘standard’ look to be in a pop group or to do the type of music I wanted. I always knew who I was but everyone else wanted to me to be their ‘idea’ of the ‘right’ artist. At times I even believed them. But the leo in me said nah f–k that. It took me a while but I got to know myself again and made it my mission to never let society tell me what I or who i should be. For every girl, guy, gay, trans, or straight that’s told your look won’t do, I see you, I get you, and I encourage you not to do what I did. I gave them power by believing it. Be exactly who you are. You can fit in any space you see yourself in. be fearless. Tits up middle fingers out.”

She has come a long way in terms of her way of thinking, as well as with her experimental blend of pop, R&B and electronic music, and of course, her look. On the heels of her message, we thought we’d take a look at the star’s transformation over the years, starting way back in 2006.

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