In the middle of a slow-news summer, I’m pretty excited to bounce off Raven-Symone’s semi-regular jaunts into newsworthy territory. As co-host of The View, Raven provides plenty of material. Her latest topic of choice isn’t as mind-boggling as yesterday’s discussion, but I’ll work it out.
Raven talked about body image, which is a default hot topic almost any day. She revealed how, while starring on Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven, she was terrified of the adults on set. Many of them “fat-shamed” her on the regular. Raven said she weighed 180 pounds by the end of the show’s run, which goes to show that concern-trolling doesn’t work too well:
The fat-shaming started early: “I remember not being able to have the bagel or anything at [craft services] – we call it crafty – where it’s just a table of food ready for you to eat whenever you want. And I remember people were like, ‘You can’t eat that. You’re getting fat.’ I’m like, ‘I’m 7! I’m hungry!'”
She didn’t even eat too much: “It’s more than what’s just the food – it’s what’s in the food. Your cortisol level and your serotonin level have a really strong influence on your body type. You put nasty stuff, images of women I’ll never to aspire to [in front of me], of course I’m going to get depressed. I lost weight to keep them people from talking to me. I got tired and irritated.”
[From Us Weekly]
Raven didn’t name any of the fellow actors or crew members that body shamed her as a child and teenager. Her timeline is a little confusing, since Raven claims to have been shamed from age 7 until That’s So Raven ended when she was 21. The show only ran for 4 years, so perhaps Raven is talking about several set atmospheres at once. She still needs to work on explaining her stances more clearly.
Photos courtesy of WENN
The thirst is great with this one.
I read an article Jennifer Weiner, who’s a writer, gave about her experience working with Raven on a show Weiner wrote about a plus-size main character. Raven was cast and then pretty much dodged the writers and producers until she was supposed to show up for filming and she had lost about 60 pounds. Jennifer Weiner went on to write a book about a screenwriter who works with an actress who does exactly that and then acts like a psycho on set and gets herself pap’ed constantly to show off her weight loss, essentially killing the theme of the show . I get the feeling she really likes getting press, for sure, regardless of what it’s for.
do remember which book? I’ve read some of weiner’s stuff, some is good some is AWFUL. This sounds interesting
Sometimes I have to remember that the majority of these Disney kids never had even a semblance of a normal childhood, and I can’t imagine that any of them received the greatest education. For that, I cut them a little slack. Disney is a machine, and a scary one.
But she was not on a Disney show when she was 7 right? If That’s so Raven ended when she was 21 and ran for 4 years she was 17 when it becan so not really a child. Or was she in some other Disney show before that? The point is that all of Hollywood is the same really in my opinion.
True, she started out on the Cosby show (let’s not even open that can of nasty, nasty worms right now). You’re probably right in that all of Hollywood is just as bad. I just don’t think it’s any kind of coincidence that so many of these Disney kids have had all these issues. Some who have worked through them (Demi, and Raven, it seems like), and some who have not (Shia, Lohan, etc)
She might have ment she was a size 7 , geez.
She was on another sitcom after the Cosby show, something about her mom and her living with her mom’s brother and somebody else- Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper? The brother was a reluctant high school teacher. That might have gone on for a while. She was much older for That’s So Raven. She also has been in some movies. She’ll be guest starring on Zendaya’s Disney show K .C. Undercover, and the promos reminded me that she really is a good comic actress.
I will always remember a scene from The Cosby Show where two female characters were preparing to do some aerobics and explained they were worried about getting fat. Skinny five year old Raven was in the scene and had the line “I feel so bloated”. It was supposed to be funny but I found it creepy that they would give that line to a perfectly healthy child. Talk about body shaming little girls to hate their bodies 🙁
I don’t especially like her, but that’s a believable story to me, and it’s sad. I’ve said this before, but I feel very lucky that I didn’t grow up with all of this pressure to be thin. It came later, but as a child, I never thought about my weight, and I’m glad I had that freedom. The adults who told a seven year old that she was fat should be ashamed of themselves.
She starred on Hangin With Mr.Cooper after Cosby. From 1992-1997. Maybe that’s when alot of the shaming happened.
This is something no child should have to deal with.
I loved that show. Totally forgot about that one!
Y’all gotta remember she became one of the main character in theCosby Showback when she was 3/4? She was soooooooooooooooo lovely and precious!
So it might have started back then.
She would have been fat shamed even if she wasn’t famous. When you’re fat, people will be horrible to you. No matter if you are a child.
I’m sorry, I gotta be the one to object. I’m a formerly obese lady (210 lbs down to 126 lbs and maintained for a couple of years so far) and a lot of poor eating habits for several obese people start at a young age (teenage years or even younger) and they struggle to break out of the hands of childhood obesity for their whole lives–if they ever manage to.
I’m not necessarily a proponent of fat shaming a child–although fat shaming was an incredibly motivating tool for myself when I was losing the weight. I just accept that different strokes for different folks. However, *not* everything is fat-shaming. Telling a child to not go crazy on craft services is not fat-shaming; it’s responsible child rearing whether it’s her manager, publicist or her parents. I don’t honestly subscribe to this notion of “if someone says one thing about weight or consumption of excess food- it’s fat shaming.” No, it’s not. Children (especially someone like Raven who has certainly struggled with being an unhealthy weight over the years) should be taught the limits of eating in moderation and responsibly so it can become second nature behavior for them when they grow up. The irresponsible thing in this situation would’ve been if the adults around Raven allowed a 7-year old to eat whatever she wanted. That’s the idea I find more ridiculous.
After seeing the horrible effects of childhood obesity, studying it for a class, and living obesity myself- I find it to be scary and dangerous that our rates of childhood obesity even are what they are. I support any measure that limits a child’s excessive food intake in a kind but firm and resolute way. If that involved someone telling her she’s getting fat a couple of times–so be it. Maybe she was getting a little too heavy for a 7-year old. Regardless, the notion of not saying that to a child is absurd to me. I have a couple of cousins who are somewhat heavy for their age (8 and 11) and we brought it up with their parents and they’re enrolled in about 3 sports now and my aunt has limited their sugary snacks/drinks to once a month or a friend’s birthday party and no longer buys it for the home.
I absolutely think overweight/obesity is a conversation that should be had with little kids too if it’s gotten to the point where the child’s gotten heavy for his or her own age. It only saves them a lot of struggles later on in life trying to shed the weight and become healthy.
Just because a particular method worked for you does not mean the same outcome would work for everyone. Not many people respond to criticism the way you have. Look at Raven S. She was made to feel ashamed of herself and in response has struggled with weight more than she probably would have. That struggle–that yoyo, severe ups and severe downs–is oftentimes more dangerous than obesity both physically and neurologically
I also think you’re confusing the definition of ‘fat shaming.’ No one is saying, “Obesity is fun! Let children be obese!” No one said to Raven, “Sweetie, lets go for a run on our breaks. Fitness is important and good healthy habits start early!”
This is what they said. TO A 7 YEAR OLD: “Don’t eat. You can’t have that. You’re looking too chunky/fat/chubby.”
I don’t care how many motivational stories anyone spits out. Saying those words to a child is confusing and typically detrimental. Even if years later it haunts them into thinness.
“I’m not necessarily a proponent of fat shaming a child–although fat shaming was an incredibly motivating tool for myself when I was losing the weight. I just accept that different strokes for different folks.”
How did you take this to mean that I think that method works for everyone? On the contrary, I’m literally saying I understand that different methods for different people.
Honestly, at the end of the day, telling a child to eat less or eat in moderation isn’t fat shaming. I think that if a child is overweight or obese for their height or age, diet should be tackled from the get go.
Is the method of telling a 7 year old she’s fat somewhat damaging and heavy handed? Yes, absolutely.
Is telling the same child to lay off the bagels and craft services as she’s approaching overweight or obese fat shaming? Absolutely not.
I don’t remember Raven ever looking overweight as a child. She may have been legitimately hungry and the adults were restricting her too much. That would set her up for eating problems later on when she had more say in what she ate. Her weight difficulties came in her teens.
Wanting a child to eat healthy and nourishing food is great. Insulting a child’s appearance based on their size is reprehensible.
What does heavy for their age even mean? My 2.5 year old is looking a bit fat….do you have any suggestions? Maybe take away the apple juice and milk?
You don’t think heavy for their age is a thing? 7 years isn’t the same as 2.5 years and I’m positive that if your child remains plump or carries extra weight in another 3-4 years, your pediatrician will have a talk with you about it.
Heavy for their age is measured against kids in the same age and height group. There’s a separate bmi chart for kids.
“Heavy for their age is measured against kids in the same age and height group.”
Then given the rate of childhood obesity, overweight children are perfectly normal for their age weight-wise.
What Matador said x 1000
Who even watches The View here in the States and what quality programming, said no one ever.
Understand there is a lot of hate for Rosie O Donell… at least she made it interesting while arguing with Hassleback and everyone else.
This show sucks and THE TALK has kicked it’s ass in ratings for years.
And Raven, your Male Adult
Role Model is a Serial Rapist.
Come on people, she’s talking about the set of Hanging with Mr. Cooper, not just Thats So Raven.
On the one hand, she’s bringing her experience to the table and speaking out, but on the other her lack of education is really showing. It’s hard to follow what she says.
She had a normal education. She graduated from a real high school in Georgia that she actually attended.
I believe her when she says she was fat-shamed as a child. Look at what Hollywood did to Judy Garland, granted it was years earlier and involved diet pills, but that pressure is still around and probably even worse today. We’ve never had celebs as thin as they are today which is why so many people idolize women with the “pin-up girl” figure that was popular in the 40s and 50s (eg. Marily Monroe, Rita Hayworth, Sophia Loren, etc.).
I’m just going to keep my comments about Raven to myself now. Her stupidity angers me, especially since she insists of constantly brandishing it in our faces, but she clearly can’t help herself and her upbringing as a child star probably contributed to it.