Laverne Cox: Which trait in yourself do you like least? — FLAPSS

The question

Which trait in yourself do you like least?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

The Guardian's The Q&A has retained this Proust-derived prompt from at least 2007 through 2026, and ABC independently put it to the Obamas in 2011.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

LC

Laverne Cox

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

Thinking that I am less-than. That thinking is cunning, baffling, and insidious, and I must guard against it every hour of every day.

Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, June 2018 source ↗

Others on this question

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Whenever I walk past an ice-cream shop, I just can’t not buy an ice-cream.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 February 2025 source ↗

Michael Flatley American step dancer

I don’t give myself that much thought.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 10 August 2024 source ↗

Johannes Radebe

My default will always be to go for the worst-case scenario and that is something that I am unlearning.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 28 March 2026 source ↗

Speaking negatively to myself.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 29 August 2026 source ↗

More from Laverne Cox

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Question Who alive today do you admire most, and what draws you to them? Values & belief

Leontyne Price gives me life. She broke racial barriers with inimitable poise, grace, and excellence, as well as unbelievable focus and vision.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, June 2018 source ↗

Question What period or moment in your life brought you the most joy? Time & hindsight

At the SAG awards in 2016. I remember going into that night saying to myself, “I might not be here again; let me be fully in the moment.” The cast of Orange Is the New Black won the acting-ensemble award for the second year in a row, and I was there with a man I truly loved. That night was everything I had always dreamed about.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, June 2018 source ↗

Question What does happiness look like for you when life is going well? Identity & self

Cuddling in bed on a Sunday morning with the man I love. Also, applause and standing ovations.

Recorded The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 11 June 2018 source ↗

Question If you could alter one thing about yourself, what would it be? Identity & self

Thinking that I am not enough or not beautiful the way I am. That thinking is super-dangerous.

Recorded The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 11 June 2018 source ↗

Question What do you fear most? Identity & self

Being homeless.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, June 2018 source ↗

Question What trait do you most dislike in other people? Values & belief

Mean-spiritedness and the inability to set and respect boundaries.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, June 2018 source ↗

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