Jodie Turner-Smith has a powerful message for those struggling with self-confidence.
In a candid Instagram post, the "Queen & Slim" star shared a series of throwback photos of her younger self, explaining some of her insecurities at age 17.
"Proof that the glow up has been really real. I’m humbled when I look at this girl," she began. "Seventeen-year-old me. Not just because of how I look on the outside, but because I remember how I felt on the inside."
(MORE: Lena Waithe discusses her inspiration for 'Queen & Slim')"I remember how badly I hated myself and hated the dark skin that made people call me ugly," she continued.
"How I turned my helplessness at being unable to change my outward appearance inward by constantly cleaving away any and all parts of myself that I was told made me unacceptable to others," she said.
Turner-Smith went on to write that she ended up changing her voice, her hair and even "became captain of this and president of that" to shape herself "into the most acceptable form of Jodie for the people" around her.
However, the actress noted that she changed herself "until there was nothing of me left but hate for a person I didn’t recognize..."
(MORE: Kelly Ripa's 18-year-old daughter Lola shows off incredible singing voice)Calling the transition "exhausting," Turner-Smith adds that now she's "grateful for the girl in these photos and for every part of this journey."
"Because i couldn’t be me, now, if i wasn’t first her, then," she wrote. "When you know what it feels like to hate yourself, finally loving yourself is a freedom that cannot be matched by anyone else’s approval."
She also added a special message in her throwback photos.
"The real glow up is when you stop waiting to turn into some perfect version of yourself and consciously enjoy being who you are in the present."