Ghanaian actress Lydia Forson has spoken candidly about years of public ridicule over her appearance, saying the insults have never shaken her sense of self-worth.
Speaking in an interview with award-winning journalist Kafui Dey, Forson said society’s narrow definition of beauty has long been used as a weapon against women who do not conform to it. “Beauty is a social construct,” she said. “If society has decided that what is beautiful looks a certain way and you don’t look it, your entire life you’re called ugly.”
As a dark-skinned woman who wears her hair naturally, Forson said she has been on the receiving end of such judgements for years and that the attacks have not stopped. “Even in 2026 they say it. They call me ugly. They call me pig,” she said. She also revealed that a particular anonymous social media account used to send her “Happy Father’s Day” messages annually, mockingly implying she looked like a man.
Despite the sustained criticism, Forson said it has had no effect on how she sees herself. “First of all, I don’t think I’m ugly. I think I’m a gorgeous woman. There’s nothing anybody can tell me in this world that will make me think that I’m ugly,” she stated, adding that what seems to frustrate her critics most is her refusal to seek their approval. “I won’t wait for you to tell me I’m beautiful.”
On the question of feminism, Forson said she spent years avoiding the label before arriving at a place of comfort with it. “For a long time, I avoided the word feminist. I had to go through a process, see what people had done with it, and understand it for myself,” she said.
She credited the strong women in her family for laying the foundation. “I am a proud black shanty woman. Oppression was never in my dictionary or DNA. My mom and grandmothers were strong and entrepreneurial.” She said what ultimately matters to her is not the terminology but the substance behind it. “I care more about actions than titles. I know who I am and what I stand for.”
