Key Takeaways
- Leslie Jones asked Raven-Symoné and Miranda Maday how to “exude feminine” while embracing her tomboyish, androgynous style and commanding presence.
- Jones said she would only relinquish control to a partner who makes her feel comfortable and vulnerable, while Maday urged her not to change herself to attract someone.
- After realizing “it’s your brain that’s stopping you,” Jones said she wants to redefine femininity for herself and other tall, strong women who fall outside conventional stereotypes.
Leslie Jones has spent plenty of time making it clear what she doesn’t want from relationships. Now, she’s opening up about what she does want—and how femininity fits into the equation.
During an appearance on Raven-Symoné and Miranda Maday’s Tea Time podcast, Jones asked the married couple for some surprisingly personal advice: “How do I exude feminine” while still embracing the tomboyish side of herself that she already loves? The six-foot comedian explained that her height, big hands and feet, and naturally commanding presence sometimes shape how men perceive her before they get to know her.
But Jones wasn’t asking how to become someone else. She said she already considers herself feminine while also being tough and fiercely self-sufficient. “I run everything. I’m the CEO of my life, and I hire and fire accordingly,” Jones said.
That independence also affects what she expects from a partner. “I’m very not submissive,” she explained. “I’m not just going to submit to you just because you’re the man.”
Instead, Jones said she could relinquish some control to someone who makes her feel “comfortable and vulnerable” while allowing her to remain herself.
Raven and Maday challenged Jones to reconsider what “feminine” actually means rather than measuring herself against a conventional image.
Jones admitted she may have been working from the wrong definition, describing femininity in terms like softness and smelling good while pointing to women who can project glamour without sacrificing authority.
Maday advised her not to alter herself to attract an imagined partner, arguing that people carry different combinations of masculine and feminine energy.
That prompted Jones to reveal she has already started rethinking some of those assumptions. She pointed to something as small as wearing delicate rings, which she once thought wouldn't work on her hands.
After a jeweler encouraged her to try them anyway, Jones realized, “It’s your brain that’s stopping you.” Now, she said, she wants to redefine femininity not only for herself but for other women with similar builds, including tall female athletes who may not fit conventional stereotypes.
The conversation puts a different spin on Jones’ recent comments about marriage and traditional gender roles. During her March 31 interview with Ziwe, she emphatically rejected becoming a “tradwife,” saying her father “didn’t raise me to be somebody’s wife.”
Jones has also recently spoken about another stereotype she believes was imposed on her. Looking back on Saturday Night Live, she said writers repeatedly cast her as “the girl that was angry and beating up people,” eventually leaving her wondering whenever she received a script, “OK, who am I beating up this week?”
