Subscribe
Hellobeautiful Featured Video
CLOSE
Close up image of Kerry Washington at the SAG awards

Source: PATRICK T. FALLON / Getty

Welcome to the first day of Women’s History month!

Kerry Washington commemorated the day with a tribute post to one of her heroes. In an Instagram post, the award-winning actress showed a side-by-side image of Pam Grier dressed in a red button-down shirt tied at the front, low-rise jeans, a perfectly shaped afro, and gold hoop earrings. On the other side of that photo was a mirror image of Washington.

#BlackHERstory is BACK! I had soooooooo much fun dressing up as one of my heroes, Pam Grier. Pam is considered one of the first female action stars and QUEEN of the Blaxploitation era. She proved that Black women, and ALL women on film could be strong, tenacious and crazy sexy at the same time. The first time I saw Jackie Brown I was in delighted awe. Grier brought electric subversive complexity and brilliance to that role, at time when women’s roles (especially in action movies) were either non-existent or extremely stereotypical. She’s a true queen of her craft and I’m so honored to celebrate her in this way! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾,” Washington wrote.

Pam Grier Portrait Session

Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty

Grier, now 72-years old, played iconic roles that placed Black women in the forefront of action films. According to filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, she is the cinema’s first action star. Perhaps her most notable role was Foxy Brown, a movie about a young woman who takes revenge on a bunch of White drug dealers for murdering her boyfriend. Since the ’70s, the actress went on to play many roles, and she is actively working today.

This may be the first of many tributes Washington will share throughout the month of March. I’m excited to see who she pays homage to next. Until then, what do you think?

 

DON’T MISS…

10 Bad A** Throwback Photos Of Pam Grier

Kerry Washington Is Radiant In A Yellow Celia Kritharioti Couture Gown At 2022 SAG Awards

Ciara, Kerry Washington, Halle Berry Slay At ELLE’S 2021 Women In Hollywood Event

Jada Pinkett-Smith, Halle Berry, Kerry Washington, And Taraji P. Henson Show Off Their Acting Range In The ‘Classic Roles Challenge’

For 2024’s iteration of MadameNoire and HelloBeautiful’s annual series Women to Know, we knew we wanted to celebrate the people who help make the joys of film and television possible. To create art is to create magic. This year, we spotlight Hollywood Executive’s changing the face of cinema.