Quiet and reserved aren’t words that one would ever use to describe actress and fashion creator Asia Jackson, but to the contrary–Jackson’s reality was once riddled with suppression. Naturally soft-spoken, the soon-to-be star was bullied throughout her childhood and uprooted, regularly moving around the world. Perpetually being “the new girl” made it hard for Jackson to find not only her place but her voice. It was through two constants (style and the arts) that a young Jackson began to discover the power of an unapologetic sense of self, harnessing it as a language to communicate how she felt. And once she found her voice, she couldn’t be silenced again.
“Fashion gave me permission to express myself, it gave me permission to be loud and take up space without needing to vocalize anything.” Jackson explains. “Obviously these days I’m a very vocal and opinionated person, but I would’ve never gotten here if it weren’t for that early love for fashion and [creating].”
Today, Jackson is a force in her own right, appearing in hit television shows like Modern Family while using her flair for fashion to garner hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. But don’t let the stylish selfies, likes, and followers distract you from the message that lies beneath each post and reel. Jackson is lending her hard-earned voice to the voiceless, advocating for BIPOC and marginalized communities every chance she gets.
“I don’t think you can be a successful creative without a purpose. That purpose is different and unique to everyone,” The ingénue exclaims. “It’s easy to lose sight of why we create in the first place. That’s why moments of self doubt [creep] in. But for me revisiting my purpose and coming back to why I started creating always leads me out of dark[ness]. I was made to create—I was Made For This.”
Click here to learn more about other creators from Fossil's "Made For This" series and shop the Made For This gift guide at fossil.com.
