Emmy Rossum has revealed that becoming a mother helped her change the way she feels about her natural curls, after years of believing she was not at her most beautiful when wearing her hair in its natural texture. The actress said her daughter's own curly hair made her realise she needed to embrace her natural look if she wanted to teach her child to feel confident about her own appearance.
Speaking to WWD at YSL Beauty's New York City Block Party on 19 September 2026, Rossum opened up about the personal beauty journey behind her curls. The Shameless star said she eventually stopped trying to change her natural texture and found the decision unexpectedly liberating.
Emmy Rossum's Daughter Changed Her Beauty Perspective
Rossum said accepting her natural curls had taken years. She explained that she had spent much of her life feeling that she looked less beautiful when she appeared as her most authentic self.
'I spent most of my life feeling like I wasn't at my most beautiful as my most authentic self,' she said, describing the decision to stop fighting her natural texture as 'liberating'.
The turning point came through her daughter, who was born with curly hair. Rossum said she wanted her child to grow up seeing her mother embrace her own natural appearance rather than receiving a message about beauty that Rossum herself had struggled to follow.
'She came out with curly hair, and I wanted her to look at her mom and know she was beautiful,' Rossum said.
That realisation pushed the actress to put her own advice into practice.
'I had to practise what I was going to preach,' she added.
For Rossum, embracing her curls has become about more than a hairstyle. It is tied to the example she wants to set for her daughter and to a more personal understanding of confidence.
From Curl Insecurity to Confidence
Rossum said that once she stopped feeling the need to alter her natural texture, she began to feel more comfortable with her appearance.
'I feel actually a lot more confident, and I found my confidence being more me,' she told a news outlet.
The shift is particularly notable given Rossum's long career in film and television, where actors regularly face intense scrutiny over their appearance. Her comments suggest that the pressure she experienced was not simply about creating a polished red-carpet look, but about how she personally viewed her natural features.
Rather than describing curls as something that needed to be controlled, Rossum now talks about working with them. That philosophy also extends to the way she approaches her children's hair.
She revealed that her younger son has even more curl definition than she or her daughter, making him something of a standout in the family when it comes to natural texture.
Teaching Her Children About Curl Care
Rossum said hair care has become something she discusses openly with her children, particularly the importance of keeping curls conditioned and working with their natural shape.
'We talk a lot about conditioning our hair, working on our coils, twisting our coils,' she said.
The products and techniques used for her children are different from those Rossum uses herself, with age-appropriate approaches forming part of their routine. However, the underlying principle is the same: caring for natural texture rather than treating curls as something that needs to be hidden.
Moisture is also an important part of Rossum's own curl routine. Hydration can help curls retain definition while reducing the appearance of dryness and frizz, making conditioning particularly relevant for textured hair.
Her comments offer a glimpse into a beauty routine that has become closely connected to her family life. The actress is not simply experimenting with a different hairstyle for a red-carpet appearance; she is trying to model the confidence she hopes her children will develop themselves.
Rossum's Natural Curls Take Centre Stage
Rossum's comments came as she attended YSL Beauty's New York City Block Party at La Esquina in SoHo. The 19 September event brought together figures from fashion, music and entertainment, including Teyana Taylor, Lauryn Hill, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordyn Woods, with Mark Ronson providing a DJ performance.
Rossum's own appearance complemented the natural-hair conversation. She wore Saint Laurent for the event, with her voluminous curls becoming one of the defining features of her beauty look.
The appearance followed another major beauty moment at the 2026 Emmy Awards, where Rossum wore her curls with considerable volume and definition. Hairstylist Vernon François was responsible for the look, while her wider beauty styling included a bold red lip.
Why Her Curl Journey Matters
Rossum still approaches red-carpet beauty with considerable preparation. She has spoken about creating mood boards after fittings, combining hair and make-up references so her team can work towards a shared visual direction.
But her attitude towards her hair has changed. Instead of seeing her natural curls as something that prevented her from looking her best, Rossum now regards them as part of what makes her feel most like herself.
Her daughter remains at the heart of that change. By choosing to embrace her own curls, Rossum said she wanted to show her child that natural beauty does not need to be corrected or concealed.
For the actress, the lesson is ultimately simple: confidence can begin with accepting the features you once felt pressured to change—and sometimes, becoming a role model for your children means learning that lesson yourself.
