It's a shave new world for Michaela Jaé Rodriguez.
The Pose star didn't come to play when she stepped out at the 2022 TIME Women of the Year gala on Tuesday, March 8, opting to let her buzzed head take center stage on the red carpet. She wore a stunning black sequined Et Ochs gown, accessorized with only a custom choker by Brilliant Earth and a pair of studded earrings.
In an exclusive chat with E! News, Rodriguez revealed why she recently decided to cut off her locks, saying, "It was something I decided to do for me."
"I wanted people to see the person that's under all the hair," she said. "We all hold a lot of stuff in our hair: a lot of tension, a lot of stress. I wanted to release that and start anew."
Although the 31-year-old actress-singer admitted that she does have days where she questions if she's "feeling" her look, she said about her current state of mind, "I feel good. I feel great."
And as one of the TIME's leaders of the year, she had absolutely every right to be feeling herself. At the event, sponsored by FIJI Water, the Golden Globe winner was honored alongside other powerhouse performers like Kacey Musgraves and Kerry Washington, who Rodriguez praised as "someone that just pushes the gamut."
"I have met her on so many occasions, but I've always been nervous," she said of the Scandal alum. "I'm like a ball of nerves, but inspired by her. She's been a beacon for a lot of young women."
Likening Washington to "royalty," Rodriguez also quipped, "I'm just like kind of gagging—and that's a word that we use in ballroom."
Although Rodriguez isn't voguing with her Pose co-stars anymore after the FX series ended last year, she told E! News that she does "keep in touch with almost everybody" from the cast.
"I've talked to Indya [Moore] yesterday. I talked to Dominique [Jackson] today," she said. "I chill with Hailie Sahar as often as I can. Angelica Ross is a busy bird and she's usually flying so I don't get a chance to see her as much but I do make sure I keep in contact with her too."
She added, "We are like a close knit family."