In just over one week, ESSENCE’s 19th annual Black Women in Hollywood ceremony, honoring the Black women shaping the future of film and television, will honor the trajectory of none other than Kerry Washington. The acclaimed actress is known for going “Off Script” (this year’s theme) with acting, directing, and activism. And, the same goes for her natural approach to beauty over the years.
Her evolution began in 2001, when she attended the Sundance Film Festival in natural curls and a red lip to match her fuzzy sweater as she promoted her film Lift. From then on, her beauty and style has reached from baby pink lips and blush at the Hollywood Life’s 4th Annual Breakthrough of the Year Awards in 2004 to smoky eyeliner and a Chanel-esque layered necklace at Emporio Armani’s Fall 2008 show.
By the 2010s, she pulled back on blush, but went forward with crop cuts. For example, at a Jimmy Choo & Esquire party in 2013, Washington wore an ear-length micro bob (which we saw again bone-straight in 2022) and a green Ralph Lauren polo. Then, in 2019, she revisited her 2000s light pink tones with a little black pixie cut adorned with a dangling head piece. In one of her most recent looks, at the 2026 BAFTA Awards, it was her wet side bangs and deep blue nails—which matched the pleated train on her gown—that stole the show.
Ahead of ESSENCE’s Black Women in Hollywood on March 12, take a look at how honoree Kerry Washington’s beauty has evolved over the years.
