Shay Mitchell Used to Want Light Skin and Blonde Hair as a Teen

I'd like to believe Shay Mitchell and I would be best friends. Aside from the fact that I'm not a big pizza person (and Shay is obsessed!), we have a lot in common. Our favorite esthetician is Shani Darden. We both create content for YouTube. She's really into skin care and makeup, as am I! And she's a total girls' girl but can get down with the boys, too. (Plus, she's on one of the most scandalous and morbid shows on the tube, Pretty Little Liars, and I love anything creepy or horror-genre related.)

Shay joined us on this week's episode of #PrettyUnfiltered while promoting her new partnership with Bioré, and having interviewed her once before, I knew that she was going to be fun but also genuine — something that's absolutely necessary for our series. After an outfit change on her part, we kicked off our shoes and got to talking.

Shay is half Filipina, and growing up, she felt like she didn't fit in. She explained that she felt insecure in school, which most of us can relate to, but her insecurities were mostly due to the fact that she didn't look like most of her friends. She had darker skin and features; everyone else was white and blond.

I was also totally blown away to hear that Shay used to dye her hair blond and wear contacts in an effort to alter her image. She explains how she came to embrace herself and how she built up her confidence, and she told us an amazing quote her mother shared with her as a kid. Check out the interview with Shay, and then let us know what empowers you by hashtagging #PrettyUnfiltered.

On Kirbie: Rebecca Vallance top and skirt
On Shay: Hair by Rod Ortega, makeup by Mario Dedivanovic