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2019 Soul Train Awards - Arrivals

Source: Gabe Ginsberg / Getty

Yes, the second season of Pose may be done and gone until summer 2020, but that doesn’t mean that we have to wait that long to relish in the ballroom drama’s lead star, MJ Rodriguez.

MJ is absolutely fantastic as Blanca, the mother of the House of Evangelista, who takes in any child from off the streets to build them up, provide them a roof over their heads and teach them how to win a trophy or two at the balls. But there’s more than that to this nuanced portrayal of the transgender Afro-Latina from the Bronx.

MJ adds so many layers of vulnerability to our heroine and portrays her with such an eagerness to see the good in the world that it makes us all want to be better people in our real everyday lives. Trust, not every actress can do that, which is why we are clear that the New Jersey native was robbed from an Emmy nomination this year.

BUT she was however nominated for Best Lead Actress in a Drama by the Critics Choice Award, making what we believe to be the first trans woman to be nominated in this category. Of course, MJ herself is “over the moon about it” as well.

In addition to being a force on the small screen, MJ is a stunner. Take a look:

That, and she is one of the newest faces of Oil of Olay:

 

So to celebrate one of TV faves, here are 25 times she literally slayed on the ‘Gram:

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The grand return of the Melanin Awards amplifies and honors the finest Black-owned beauty brands with honest reviews, and discusses the evolution of beauty in Hip-Hop culture.