‘Orange Is the New Black’ Stars Cover Essence’s “Body Issue”

‘Orange Is The New Black’ Stars Danielle Brooks, Adrienne C. Moore, Uzo Aduba, Samira Wiley, Laverne Cox, and Vicky Jeudy Cover Essence July 2015

Orange Is the New Black stars Uzo Aduba , Vicky Jeudy , Adrienne C. Moore , Samira Wiley , Laverne Cox , and Danielle Brooks embrace being sexy at every size for Essence Magazine July 2015, the publication’s annual “ Body Issue .”

The issue will hit newsstands on the same day that these lovely ladies return to our Netflix queues in the third season of their hit series on June 12!

ALSO SEE: ‘Orange Is the New Black’ Renewed for Season 4 + New Season 3 Clip

Glam’d out in orange evening gowns, they discuss what they’ve done to learn to accept and love themselves.

‘Orange Is The New Black’ Stars Samira Wiley, Adrienne C. Moore, Laverne Cox, Danielle Brooks, Uzo Aduba, and Vicky Jeudy for Essence July 2015 [Click to Enlarge]

Laverne Cox says, “This is intense, and it’s hard. What I’ve been doing is looking in the mirror and listing all the things I have an issue with and then saying, ‘This is beautiful.’ I just go down the list and tell myself, ‘You have to accept that this is you today.’ I make time to do this.”

“Being [my size] in this industry is so rare,” adds Danielle Brooks, “but regular people look more like me than runway models. To show beauty in a different way really lights me up inside. That’s so cheesy, but it does.”

“For the majority of my first 18 years, I hated my gap,” reveals Emmy-winner Uzo Aduba. “My mom would tell me that in Nigeria, it’s a sign of beauty. I was like, ‘We’re in Massachusetts.'” She continues, “Today there’s not a selfie or personal photo I take where I’m not smiling wide. It sometimes feels as if I’m making up for lost smiles.”

We’ll also learn how Samira Wiley can hang with the boys at the gym, that Adrienne C. Moore loves a good sweat, and which old-school workout Vicky Jeudy relies on to stay in shape.

Orange Is the New Black is Netflix’s top-performing original series.

Based on Piper Kerman ‘s 2011 memoir , the series centers on Piper Chapman ( Taylor Schilling ), a bisexual New York woman sentenced to 15 months in a women’s federal prison for transporting a suitcase full of drug money to her now ex-lover Alex ( Laura Prepon ), who also ended up in the same prison.

Uzo Aduba won Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series, respectively at the 4th Critics’ Choice Television Awards, as well as Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards.

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