Woman of Tomorrow

Back in mid-March, it was the day after a party when Laura Bell Bundy woke up with a pounding headache, which she assumed came from one too many drinks she had the night before. Little did she know that the headache would be the start of a month-long battle with COVID-19.

The day the headache began, Bundy went in for a typical acupuncture treatment. Slightly alarmed by her symptoms, her acupuncturist sent Bundy home with a special herb blend to combat viruses. Afterward, Bundy went to Ralphs, her local grocery store, to stock up before she began self-quarantining. “I went to the Ralphs in a complete hazmat suit, like a full-face mask, a raincoat, and I had sunglasses and rubber gloves,” she says with a chuckle.

After suffering from symptoms like sore throat, chills, and fatigue, Bundy decided it was time to get tested. A few days later, her test came back positive. “I don’t think that you can’t be scared when you find out that you have it,” says the actress, singer, and Broadway star, who was hoping to compare her symptoms to those of others in order “to be able to see if I had those same symptoms,” but there was a lack of people sharing their experiences with the virus, so she “felt like, ‘Well, why don’t I just tell people what my symptoms are so that they can help identify if they have those symptoms?’” In addition to several social-media posts about her coronavirus experience, Bundy posted a TikTok video, outlining her symptoms with dance moves, which she called “corona choreo.”

Once the virus seemed to run its course, it was time for her to get an antibody test. “There was a sense of responsibility for me to find out if I have these antibodies to donate some plasma to people who are really struggling. It’s the only thing we know we can do,” Bundy affirms.

Additionally, Bundy hopes to continue using her musical gifts to uplift people’s spirits (e.g., her newest album Women of Tomorrow), and supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. “Once you’ve seen the light, you can’t go back into the dark. I wish I was louder sooner. I wish I had spoken out sooner. It’s not enough to just post a black square. We have to look within,” she says of being the best ally she can be. “I have a lot of white shame and a lot of guilt right now, and I’m doing the work. I’m posting about it, and we’ve got to change it. Enough is enough. I’m ready to listen.”

While this year has been anything but typical in many ways, she is trying to remain appreciative of the extra time to reflect on larger matters: “I have to have moments of gratitude for this quarantine because it’s allowed my husband and me to reassess what we want in our lives, how we want to live, where we want to live, and being home with our child more,” Bundy shares.

Writer: Grace Callahan

Photographer & Videographer: Haldane Morris

Editor: Eiko Watanabe

Special thanks to EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)