What do you think of when you hear the word confidence? Do you picture an item of clothing — perhaps a perfectly tailored suit jacket or daring red carpet–worthy gown? Do you see a red lip, bright, bold, and unsmudgeable (Taylor Swift style)? Or does a feeling come to mind? That sensation of knowing the answer or speaking up about something you know is right. For me, when I think about confidence, I think about feeling utterly like myself and liking what that looks like. But I also think of a celebrity. When hear the word confidence, I think of Sharon Stone.

For the cover of our Confidence Issue, the actress, artist, and icon reflects on her legendary career and the business of being famous. “At least now [people] understand that Jennifer Lawrence can’t just skip onto an airplane,” she tells writer Mattie Kahn. “Nicole Kidman can’t jump onto Delta. Sharon Stone can’t do it either, whether or not she’s doing a lot of movies. [People] think, ‘What have you been in?’ And it’s like, Dude, they know me in the Amazon rainforest. It’s tampons, Q-tips, and Sharon Stone.”

Confidence can also come from something as simple as identifying — and owning — a signature beauty look. Beauty Director Lauren Valenti spoke to five creatives whose expressive beauty calling cards are their self-possession super powers. "It’s funny because in the past, a lot of people have had feelings about my hair," says chef and artist Sophia Roe. "They’ve said it’s distracting, or it’s overpowering...I am fully empowered by my hair now, and I think maybe it’s that I’m getting older. I can’t remember who said it, but going into your thirties is an I-don’t-give-a-fuck-pill that you didn’t realize you were going to take a bottle of."

Confidence is also a little bit contagious. In a personal essay, Collette Grimes writes about actress Keke Palmer, whom she's admired from middle school into adulthood. Palmer's unapologetic authenticity has inspired Grimes to embrace her own vulnerability. "Because of her," she says, "I feel brave enough to share my story, knowing that nothing can make me any less 'brilliant, beautiful, talented, and fabulous.'”

So, I invite you to dig into our Confidence issue, and I hope you find something here that inspires you, excites you, or even gives you a little spritz of courage.