Gina Rodriguez Opens Up About Anxiety in Makeup-Free Portrait

She may have a glam squad prepping her for every appearance, but even Gina Rodriguez has anxiety with going makeup-free. The 32-year-old actress opened up about her anxiety in an Instagram post, where she went bare face for a silent 10-second video—and she looked dang good.

Rodriguez, who slays whether she’s done up or down, took part in a photo project, titled “Ten Second Portraits,” for her friend and photographer, Anton Soggiu. Sporting a Yankees cap and a bare face, the “Jane the Virgin” star posed for the camera while alternating between shy smiles and wide grins, which she later revealed to be examples of her anxiety.

“It’s always great to be in front of his lens but this time it was just me. Bare and exposed in the streets of [L.A.]. No makeup. No styling. Just me,” she wrote in the caption.

MORE: Gina Rodriguez Got a Major Hair Makeover

Source: Instagram

To break away from the common stigmatization of mental illness, Rodriguez said she went public with her anxiety to show that mental illness is nothing to be embarrassed over.

“I suffer from anxiety. And watching this clip I could see how anxious I was but I empathize with myself,” she wrote. “I wanted to protect her and tell her it’s ok to be anxious, there is nothing different or strange about having anxiety and I will prevail.”

This isn’t the first time Rodriguez has opened up about image acceptance either. After posing for Cosmo for Latinas, the actress revealed her battle with Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune illness that can cause weight gain, fatigue and muscle pain.

“As a woman with hashimotos [disease], my struggle with health and weight and body acceptance in this industry has been a loving, painful, growing, exposing, vulnerable and incredible journey,” she wrote. “And to come to a place where I love the skin I am in and it isn’t defined by anyone’s expectations or limitations is beyond freeing. I love this picture because I feel like young Gina finally made herself her own hero.”

Source: Instagram

Rodriguez’s makeup-free portrait teaches us two things: 1. That we can kill it whether we’re bare-faced or have a full glam squad behind us. 2. That anxiety and all mental illnesses really are totally normal. Props to Gina for being so open.

MORE: We Played a Round of Would You Rather? With Gina Rodriguez