Vanessa Morgan talks My Scar, My Story campaign and Riverdale S7

Each of us has a skin story that’s uniquely ours. In July, Gold Bond launched their My Scar, My Story campaign which encourages people to embrace the skin they’re in, including their scars.

Partnering with actress Vanessa Morgan, the company has started a movement focused on putting authentic skin in the forefront of conversation and highlighting the “intricate canvas that tells our life’s stories.”

Morgan’s skin story is about her C-section scar from the birth of her son, River. She’s honored this pivotal moment in her life with a tattoo that symbolizes the beauty of the experience and how it’s changed her view on her body and skin. The actress sees Gold Bond’s campaign as a means of empowering people to share their impactful stories and their own journeys with skin care.

I sat down with the Riverdale star to discuss the #MyScarStory movement and the meaning behind her kintsugi tattoo. We also spoke about Riverdale season 7, her hopes for Toni Topaz, Choni, and her plans after the show ends.

Vanessa Morgan talks Gold Bond’s My Scar, My Story campaign and teases Riverdale season 7

The following is a transcript of the video interview that’s been edited for clarity and time.

The Gold Bond campaign for #MyScarStory is a very beautiful way of recontextualizing our relationship with our skin and any scars that we may have. What has the campaign meant to you?

I had a C-section 19 months ago now with my son, River. And, because of that, just my body growing and stretching–having a scar from my C-section–I had to look at my body in a whole different way and I really connected with Gold Bond’s campaign of ‘My Scar, My Story’ where it’s encouraging people to share their real skin stories. Embrace their imperfections, embrace their scars.

After I gave birth, my whole mindset changed into “What is my definition of beauty?” and scars are beautiful. I just really started embracing motherhood and that came with embracing who I am and my body regardless of any imperfections. So that’s why this campaign is super important to me and why I’m hoping it’ll encourage other people to share their scar story and their real skin stories.

That’s cool, especially the tattoo that you got in honor of that story. How did you settle on the word kintsugi as the tattoo you would get?

I wanted it for years, actually. It’s something that I thought was really beautiful, how in Japanese pottery you repair the broken pieces with gold and it’s considered more beautiful for having been broken. So that’s what that word means.

I just feel like my body is so much more beautiful for birthing life and going through surgery and having a scar. I look at that scar and I think that this is my canvas, this is a beautiful story. And that scar is just a reminder of how strong I am and I’m more beautiful for that. So it was just the perfect word to kind of honor my scar.

I love that that’s the word that you chose because it does reflect that your body is your tapestry and it is something that changes and grows. The perfect comes with the imperfect that it also comes with the road to the story that you’re building throughout your years.

Exactly. It’s the journey and that’s what makes life beautiful.

So what would be the advice you’d give to someone who is trying to reframe how they see their scar, to try to see it in a more positive way but they’re struggling with it?

If they’re struggling with it I think it just comes down to changing your mindset. Rewiring around the whole thing. This is your journey, this is your life journey.

Maybe you got in an accident. Maybe something happened. Maybe you were born with that scar, whatever it is, that’s uniquely you. No other person will have the exact same scar that you have, that is your skin, this is your avatar that you’re in and if anything it makes you that much more different than anybody else and I find that beautiful.

When you embrace that, that confidence, that energy that you put out into the world is beautiful. Confidence is what beauty is. People get attracted to that light the more confident you are and you know the more you embrace yourself the more others will be drawn toward you. So, I think if you just change your mindset around it, I think that could really help for people struggling with that.

[Toni Topaz] is everything to Riverdale now. What was that like having to save the town with her friends, then having to give her body up to her ancestor, and protect her family that includes her now grown son, Anthony?

It’s a lot! You know Riverdale. Now there’s different timelines, different dimensions going on. I have loved how Toni has always consistently been a confident, strong person. Before it was a strong student and South Side Serpent. And now mother. So, I think she’s changed a lot. She’s grown a lot.

Maybe she’s not as–even though she was always strong, maybe she was more like rebellious in her teen years. But, she’s definitely a bit more stable now. I’ve loved playing such a strong, independent, female character. And I love how now she’s become a really key character to the Riverdale storyline.

It’s going to be interesting seeing her go back to high school but high school with a twist as in the ‘50s. Do you have anything on your wish list that you hope she gets to experience in that era?

I don’t even know. I think it’s just so exciting, the ‘50s. I’m just excited to see what they do. I do know there’s probably going to be a lot of tension when it comes to race relations and things like that and segregation. I have a feeling they’ll touch on that which I think would be really cool to show that history that happened in America.

Maybe there will be something like that. Maybe there will be love triangles. Who knows? I’m just excited to see what the writers come up with.

Before the series concludes, is there anything for Toni that you’d like to see her either achieve or settle into?

I would love to see parents. I would love to see her have parents. We’ve met her grandma, we’ve met her grandpa. We’ve never met Toni Topaz’s family or siblings. Siblings would be awesome. We just don’t even know if she has that so if we could just go more in-depth–besides just partner, baby–and actually know a bit more about her life that would be pretty awesome.

You did tease what would we could possibly expect in season 7 but as far as Choni, we did see there’s a bit of a spark that may have ignited between the two of them in the [season 6] finale, and you did mention love triangles. Should Fangs be concerned?

With the love triangles, there’s possibly going to be some tension there. I definitely think Choni will be a thing in this new season. That’s just me having a feeling about it.

Since Riverdale is coming to an end, do you have any big dreams of what you want to do next once the show ends?

I would love to dive into other characters, maybe some action movies. I’ve always wanted to play a superhero, I’m not going to lie. Also writing. I’m writing a script right now that I’m really excited about so I would love to have that come to light. Maybe people can see it on their screens one day. Manifest that. Yeah, that’s what I’m looking forward to, constantly working and on some exciting new projects.

Awesome! So we’re manifesting your script coming onto our screens one of these days and for a Marvel or DC phone call. Do you have a preference or just any superhero?

Well, they’ve already done this one but it would have been Batwoman. Or Storm. Something in that realm one day would be really cool. Maybe a new superhero that we haven’t seen.

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