Getting Unready with Yassi Pressman: On Being Team Kulot and Saying “Yass!” to the Unfiltered You

For actress and entrepreneur Yassi Pressman, fear is the biggest roadblock to achieving anything important. If she could, she’d like to have the power to make everybody fearless when it comes to loving themselves and going for their dreams. BeautyHub.PH interviewed the curly-haired, dog-loving singer, dancer, and actress to find out her thoughts on self-care, beauty, and achieving more. 

Yassi Pressman and her naturally curly hair has become her beauty signature, but getting there wasn’t as easy as it looks. In a society and industry that is often Team Rebond, being Team Kulot was something Yassi learned to embrace with time and the right products.

Honestly, waking up with my Wavee unit (her collaboration with a health tech startup) gives me so much energy in the morning. I start my day by washing my face. Sometimes it isn’t easy to wake me up, so I need that extra boost of energy, and this sets up my mood. I do a little bit of skin care and apply sunblock. I walk my dogs and spend time with them. I appreciate myself and the love they give to me in the morning. It makes me happy and ready to take on my day.

It’s just really taking care of my hair with shampoo, taking away dirt and sweat from the day, and using conditioner. It makes me feel so fresh out of the shower and smell so good. It makes me feel empowered and confident. Sometimes, when I’m wearing my hair curly, I put on some curling cream to let my natural curls come out. Sometimes, I’d apply a heat protectant, and I’d blow dry my hair, and that’s easy when I use my Cream Silk conditioner because it naturally makes my hair easier to style, silky, and smooth.

I’ve begun to really love Hailee Bieber and Kendall Jenner. I love how they style their sleek hair. I want to cut my hair shorter sometimes. It’s clean when they put it in a ponytail. But when I’m curling my hair, I love Beyonce’s hair.

I was always scared to let my natural curls come out. So, when I tried to put curling cream one time, I was surprised with the outcome, and I was like, “Oh, pwede pala!” Cream Silk always helped me get to the hair I’ve always wanted because I was afraid of rocking my natural curls as well as my straight and silky hair. It makes it super easy for me at work.

I’m so lucky to be working with my friends and family. Sometimes, we get to watch a film. Something super simple like that. After everyone’s work on a Friday night, we watch a movie together. 

I feel fresh! I think my hair goes through a lot of heat and ironing, lalo na sa taping. At the end of the day, a beautiful shower is such an amazing feeling.

Like most kids growing up, Yassi had her insecurities. Here, she tells us how she overcame them and how she’s paying it forward by empowering other women to embrace their individuality and beauty.

In school, I had a lot of insecurities. I didn’t have the perfect height, the perfect skin tone. I was too white for some people. I couldn’t speak good enough Tagalog for some. I battled with acne as well. All these things are very natural for a growing woman.

I think I was just very lucky to be surrounded by people that reminded me constantly that it’s not just always about looks. My dad would say, “Okay baby, maybe this one is just not for you, and you’ll find another one. You’re special in your own way, and that’s okay that you’re different.”

Keep your chin up, little girl. Your day will come. Just continue to work hard and never give up, kahit na sobrang hirap, kahit mukhang imposible, huwag ka lang susuko.

I always want to keep on learning from the people around me, from what mistakes they’ve made and what advice they can give me. As a young entrepreneur, I’m just trying my best to be a sponge to everyone who wants to give me knowledge and help me grow.

I want to be more than just an actress, but as a woman who makes an impact in the industry and in people’s lives. Para sakin walang katumbas yung kapag may lumalapit sakin saying, “Yassi, you’ve changed my life because...” or “Yassi, thank you because you pushed me to do better in my studies so that I can achieve more.” These are the things that I value most, and that’s why I want to continue to strive to be better.

I’ve always wanted to fly. At one point, I wanted to be invisible. I want to time-travel as well. But to boost confidence, maybe if I could have the power to forget fear and make myself or anybody else fearless and make them go for it, that would be an amazing power. You’ll never know what you can achieve unless you try, and fear blocks us from achieving our biggest potential.

We are now slowly opening our minds to what beauty is. Masaya ako na lalo nating sinecelebrate ang iba’t ibang klase ng kagandahan in men and women and members of the LGBTQ community. When we talk about size – no little girl should grow up thinking that they should only look like this. Sana pati yun magbago and that’s coming from experience. I think the beauty industry is headed towards more openness – and that’s the beauty of it. Just opening everybody’s minds and being more accepting. I hope it continues to go there.

I encourage women to celebrate their unique beauty and individuality by not being afraid. I encourage them to be fearless kasi ang hirap ngayon. Punong puno na din ng judgment because of social media. I know that social media is so beautiful as it connects people, but it also enables people to give opinions behind the keyboard. They think that could be their superpower, but it’s the wrong way to use the internet.

For all women, I encourage you to just put yourself out there no matter what feedback you get because what matters is how you see yourself and how the people who are important to you look at you. As long as you know who you are and what you’re doing, just go out and share that with the world.

For work, I like to keep them all as professional as they can be. But I like it when my personality comes out. I like being easygoing, and I like being a free spirit and natutuwa ako kapag nakikita yan ng mga tao. Either natatawa sila or natutuwa sila. I don’t mind. I love sharing myself with people, and I want them to know the (most real) me that there can be online.

I take unfiltered photos of myself because as fun as filters are, they change you sometimes. And I love it. It’s cool, fun, and trendy, and I enjoy it. But it’s good to have a reminder that the most beautiful version of yourself is the unfiltered one, the one that’s naturally you. 

We got to know her on primetime TV and online, but this interview revealed that there’s a lot more to Yassi Pressman than killer moves, acting chops, and beautiful wild hair. This multi-talented actress strongly encourages women to be fearless and dare to define their own beauty.