Gina Rodriguez Sends a Powerful Message About Her New Haircut

Last month, Gina Rodriguez made the major mane change she had mentioned to us earlier this year — and admitted to being very nervous about. But now that she’s actually rocking her half-shave bob, she couldn’t be happier with it, and she’s explaining why.

Over the weekend, the Annihilation actress, 31, showed off her freshly shorn undercut on Instagram with an inspiring message to her fans.

“I cut my hair for a film and there is nothing more freeing than realizing your beauty exists from within,” Rodriguez wrote in a caption on Instagram. “I am not my hair. I am not my weight. I am not my skin color. I am love, I want to be love with every interaction, with every decision I make for myself, with every failure and success.”

But the actress didn’t stop there. She continued, inviting others to embrace self-love to the fullest extent: “You should try it. I dare you. Let go of what you think would make you more beautiful and discover you have all you need already inside. @mattdoylephoto.”

The star’s newfound acceptance of her new do comes after her initial state of shock, which she shared on social media minutes after her first chop. “Short hair, don’t care,” she wrote, adding, “Ha. Not true. It’ll take some adjusting. I’ll just be a little crazy till the fairy dust settles!”

This article originally appeared on People.com