Source: Nick Agro / Getty
Beauties, if it feels like we’ve watched Marsai Martin grow up right before our eyes, it’s because we truly have. From the first time we saw her adorable dimpled face on Black-ish until now, the gorgeous teen has been stealing the show (and our hearts) and made us all adopt her as our honorary little sis (in our heads). And today (August 14), the actress is celebrating her 17th birthday and reminding us all that although she’s not the same adorable little girl that we first met seven years ago, she’s growing into a smart, talented, and beautiful young lady, and is still just as cute as ever.
Taking to Instagram, the now 17-year-old celebrated her birthday in the way this generation does best: a social media birthday shoot. She wore a cow-neck, yellow slip dress, and a black cowboy-like hat with metal buttons around the center. She also wore her already braided hair in four jumbo braids and added a few rhinestones to her eyelids to match the metal on the cowboy hat. Holding a pie with the numbers “17” displayed in burning candles, she captioned the photo set, “Thanks God ‘preciate it 🥳.”
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“Happy birthday baby 😍😍,” JT, one half of the rap duo City Girls, commented on the photoset while her Black-ish costar Marcus Scribner said what we’re all thinking, “Happppy birthdayyyyy no way you 17 already 🤯😭❤️❤️❤️.”
Truthfully, her caption couldn’t be more accurate because the talented teen definitely has a lot to be thankful for on this birthday. Just last month, she teamed up with Verizon Media’s Gen Z video platform, In The Know, to launch Money With Marsai Martin, a new digital finance series aimed at teaching teenagers financial literacy. The six-part series features Marsai as the host while she has candid conversations with industry experts across finance, entertainment, and education on financial wellness. “Becoming financially independent has been such an important part of my journey both personally and professionally, so I’m excited to partner with In The Know to share what I’ve learned from my experiences with people my own age,” Martin told Black Enterprise. “As one of the most successful and entrepreneurial generations in history, it’s important for us to prioritize financial literacy and educate young people on the tools and strategies they need to succeed.”
She also most recently partnered with Invisalign on their ChangeMakers Program to help inspire the next generation to make a change. “I feel like with this generation, we need things like that to continue to inspire all of us,” the actress told Byrdie.com, admitting that she keeps her smile so bright by brushing to thee times a day, using white strips and her Invisalign.
