Is Beauty on Netflix based on a true story? Details explored

Beauty, starring Gracie Marie Bradley, is currently streaming on Netflix. It follows a talented Black singer who struggles to make her voice heard amid identity struggles resulting from familial pressure. The story captures her dilemma as she tries to be her authentic self while being on the brink of stardom. It mirrors the stories of many pop culture icons who faced issues in their personal lives while staying true to their artistic voice. So, the viewers might be wondering if the film is based on a true story or not. The answer is not as simple as it may seem.

The film is not presented as a biopic, and it doesn't mention any real-life inspiration either. Usually, biopics offer a montage of the person's life on which it is based. The Netflix release doesn't offer a similar montage, nor does it claim that it is based on a true story in its credits. However, the character faces challenges that are fairly similar to the ones singer Whitney Houston faced in her life. Houston's fans might pick up on these similarities. So, although not disclosed, Beauty is presumably inspired by the events in Whitney Houston's life.

---

Beauty on Netflix: Is the inspirational musical based on a true story?

Beauty on Netflix follows the life of a young, gifted Black singer who receives a major record label deal that can lead her to immense fame and stardom. However, she is held back by pressures from her religious family, who object to her romantic relationship with a woman whom she calls her close friend. It ties in with Whitney Houston's life who had a long-time working relationship with her assistant Robyn Crawford.

Houston called Crawford her close friend and did not acknowledge their relationship in public. However, there were rumors about their romantic and sexual relationship, which Crawford acknowledged in her memoir, A Song for You: A Life with Whitney Houston. Crawford noted:

“We never talked about labels, like lesbian or gay. We just lived our lives and I hoped it could go on that way forever.”

However, Houston ended their relationship as it would affect their professional and personal lives otherwise. While speaking on the same subject, Crawford wrote:

“She [Houston] said if people find out about us, they would use this against us, and back in the 80s that’s how it felt.”

The Netflix release also follows a talented singer's fear of societal rejection and professional repercussions upon her relationship with a woman. It shows a singer's strained relationship with her father, similar to what Houston had with her father. The singer's father expects her to pay him for his contribution to her journey, similar to what Houston's father expected from her.

Beauty's mother, a talented singer, never had a successful singing career. Houston's mother, who once was a part of an R&B girl group, faced a similar fate. Beauty's brother disapproved of her relationship with a woman and called her partner 'evil', which reflects Houston's brother's comments about Crawford from a documentary. Considering all these details, the film is potentially inspired by Whitney Houston's life.

---

Beauty on Netflix: More details on Lena Waithe's film

Andrew Dosunmu helms Beauty on Netflix. He has previously directed movies like 2013's Mother of George, 2017's Where Is Kyra?, and 2011's Restless City. Lena Waithe, who has co-written Beauty with Lindsay Dickens, is widely known for writing on shows like The Chi, Twenties, and Master of None, and movies like Queen & Slim (2019).

Waithe has acknowledged her deep admiration for Whitney Houston during interviews, including the one she had with Houston's former creative director, Robyn Crawford. During Waithe's 2019 interview with Crawford for Oprah Daily, Waithe said:

"I saw myself in you. And I didn't know why back then; I was a young person who didn't have the language to understand who I was yet. But I was aware I wasn't like everybody else. That, I knew."

Waithe's film may have been inspired by Whitney and Crawford's life. However, it doesn't acknowledge this inspiration, presumably for technical reasons.