Victoria Monét's PCOS Journey: Weight Gain, Body Image, and Confidence

Victoria Monét, the celebrated singer, recently shared an image on her Instagram stories of herself performing at Coachella. In a vulnerable moment, she opened up about the changes her body has undergone due to her Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) diagnosis. This article delves into Monét's experience, PCOS, and how other celebrities have navigated body image changes.

Victoria Monét's PCOS Revelation

Monét wrote above the photo that she had "gained a lot of weight," adding, “I usually am so critical and frustrated by it because PCOS has me really messed up, but optimistically at least now there’s two moons on the stage,” she added a crying face emoji. She detailed the changes in her body and said, “It [the weight] went a lot of places lol face, arms, tummy and most effectively… datassss.”

Understanding PCOS

The 34-year-old’s PCOS diagnosis makes her the 1. Statistically, 1 out of 10 women who are of childbearing age are affected by the reproductive hormonal imbalance. PCOS can cause problems with the menstrual cycle and can lead to the formation of multiple ovarian cysts. It can also cause infertility because of complications the hormonal imbalance causes in the ovaries, according to the Office on Women's Health.

Causes of PCOS

The exact cause of PCOS is not completely understood, but people with the condition have higher levels of androgens, such as testosterone and insulin, which can lead to diabetes. Risk factors for PCOS include obesity and having an aunt, mother, or sister with the condition. Most women are in their 20s and 30s when they find out they have PCOS, according to the Office on Women's Health, but the condition can happen at any age post-puberty.

Symptoms of PCOS

In addition to weight gain, symptoms of PCOS can include irregular or absent periods, excessive facial hair, and acne. Other symptoms also include thinning hair, darkening of the skin in certain areas, and skin tags in the armpits or neck area, according to the Office on Women's Health. The primary reason for weight gain with PCOS is believed to be insulin resistance, which also makes it hard to lose weight, research shows.

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Diagnosing PCOS

PCOS is diagnosed based on a variety of features, and in addition to the patient’s symptoms, doctors may use blood work, physical exams, and/or pelvic exams, pelvic ultrasounds to aid in the diagnosis. Often, other conditions are ruled out, and then a doctor diagnoses PCOS if a patient meets two of these symptoms: irregular or infrequent periods, signs of high levels of androgens (like acne and extra hair growth), multiple cysts on one or both ovaries shown on ultrasound or higher than normal blood levels of androgens, according to the Office on Women's Health.

Treatment for PCOS

Typically, treatment options to manage PCOS symptoms include hormonal birth control and anti-androgen medicines as well as weight loss or weight management, according to the Office on Women's Health. There is no cure for PCOS.

Monét's Positive Outlook

Despite the challenges, Monet is handling her diagnosis with grace. "Welp..I gained a lot of weight," she began her April 23 Instagram Story, "and it went a lot of places lol face, arms, tummy and most effectively…datasss. "So many amazing things are coming to me at me lightening speed and it really feels like the prettiest parade of shooting stars," she wrote in an April 15 Instagram, alongside images of her Coachella performance. "We worked sooo hard, but we had f--kin FUN!!! I love you so much! I'm so thankful &mind blown by it alll."

The 34-year-old-who shares Hazel Monét, 2, with partner John Gaines-has had a lot to celebrate in recent months. "I just want to say to everybody who has a dream, I want you to look at this as an example," she said during her acceptance speech. The "Party Girls" singer echoed similar sentiments about her rise to fame. "I had to wait for this big moment," she told Cosmopolitan in February, "and when I say 'wait,' I don't mean sitting on my hands-I had to climb up a hill for a really long time. It's giving Mount Everest."

Fan Reactions

Some of Monét fans felt inspired by her show of confidence and courage in revealing her health diagnosis. "victoria monet has pcos too?!? having pcos is so draining sometimes and to know that she really be killing shit while dealing with it is truly amazing," another shared. "Victoria Monet told Instagram that she has PCOS and I've never felt more represented and seen in my life," one echoed.

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Victoria Monét Speaks Up About Ceasefire

Aside from revealing her health diagnosis, Monét's Coachella performance was equally important because of her activism. During her performance, Monét made a bold pronouncement to the crowd: "Stop the wars, stop the hate, stop the genocides, stop motherf-ing hating. Live with love. Stop thinking so small. You need to be thinking big, b-ch. Think big, b-ch." Although Monét did not reference or name-dropped Israel or Gaza in her statements, she has spoken largely about it in the past.

Other Celebrities and Their Weight Loss Journeys

Victoria isn't the only celebrity to share her body changes. Here are a few examples:

Jelly Roll

"I did this publicly for a reason," Jelly Roll said on his wife Bunnie XO's Dumb Blonde. "What I want the world to know and I want the people to see, he continued, "is that I didn't become successful because of my weight, I became successful in spite of it." "I did, this summer, lose a good chunk of weight by micro-dosing a GLP-1," the 57-year-old revealed in September 2025 during an episode of his SiriusXM Andy Cohen Live radio show. "I was really unhappy with my weight. My doctor and I talked about this last year, had recommended a GLP-1 a few times to not only address what I was feeling about my weight, but treat plaque in my arteries and high blood pressure.

Kelly Clarkson

Yep, the talk show host is standing a little taller these days. Informed by doctors she was pre-diabetic, "I dropped weight because I've been listening to my doctor-a couple years I didn't," the singer explained to People. The mom to River and Remington is also enjoying exploring her new life in NYC. “Walking in the city is quite the workout,” she added. “And I’m really into infrared saunas right now. Not in her tool kit: The weight loss drug du jour. "My doctor chased me for like two years and I was like, 'No, I'm afraid of it. I already have thyroid problems,'" she explained on a May 2024 episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show. "Everybody thinks it Ozempic. It's not." Rather, it's another unnamed medicine, she continued, "Something that aids in helping break down the sugar-obviously my body doesn't do it right."

Oprah Winfrey

You get some health advice! And you get some health advice! Because now that the media legend is feeling better than ever, she's dishing out her best tips. While Winfrey hasn't named the weight loss medication she's using, she told People in December, "The fact that there's a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for," she explained of adding that particular tool to her arsenal.

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Chris Pratt

Saying buh-bye to his favorite beers? Fine. Committing to “three to four hours a day of just consistent, ass-kicking hard work," as he described his P90X, kickboxing and running sessions to Men's Journal? “I was peeing all day long, every day," he explained. “When people heard that I was cast in this movie, I think most people’s reactions were ‘Huh? Paul Rudd as a superhero? So he knew what he had to do. The ageless star "took the Chris Pratt approach to training for an action movie," he shared. "Eliminate anything fun for a year and then you can play a hero.”

Paul Rudd

"Sometimes you think you’re doing the right thing but what you actually need is redirection in order to see growth," he wrote. Enter: nutritionist Sean Torbati. Now, "I’m eating the right food & Hot yoga 1-2 times a week which is so good for my mental & physical state," the dad of three explained.

Gabourey Sidibe

"I weighed almost 300 pounds when I made Till," she said on the March 19 episode of the daytime talk show. "I had taken all those steroids, I was on all this stuff, and one of the things that's helped me drop the weight is Mounjaro. “I’ve worked with a dietician, made huge lifestyle changes, started exercising with a trainer and yes, I used science and support (shoutout to Mounjaro!) to help me after my 2nd pregnancy,” she wrote on Instagram in March 2025. “And I’m so glad I did because I feel great.”

Whitney Way Thore

The reality star knows she's fabulous with or without your compliments thank you very much. Bottom line, she continued, "Thank you for the compliments, but I really don't like obsessing over my body and I don't like it when others do it either."

Valerie Bertinelli

Well aware that she's hot in Cleveland, L.A. "This is a 150lb body on a 5'4 frame," the Food Network host wrote, sharing a 2014 bikini photo. "I don't weigh myself anymore because this is considered overweight by who's [sic] standards, I don't know. Fully removed from the pressures of dieting, "I now, finally, know that I am a kind, considerate, funny, thoughtful woman," she continued. "So please remember, who you are and what your character is, should never be overshadowed by what size you are or how much you weigh. You are enough. As for anyone that might not agree, she summed up, "F--k ‘em."

Post Malone

Man, the musician feels just like a rockstar since dropping 55 pounds. "I've had a lot of people ask me about my weight loss and i'd suppose, performance on stage," he acknowledged in an April 2023 Instagram post. His inspiration, he continued, was the daughter he welcomed in 2022: "i guess dad life kicked in and i decided to kick soda, and start eating better so i can be around for a long time for this little angel. next up is smokes and brews, but i like to consider myself a patient man."

Kelly Osbourne

Why, yes, she did feel the pressure to snap back after welcoming son Sidney in November 2022. "It became my mission," she told E! News of dropping 85 pounds in that initial postpartum period. Not that she's recommending her strict AF approach. "It was a lot of work," she said. "It was miserable. I was hungry all the time, but I'm really happy with the results."

John Goodman

The Roseanne alum has hit a lot of highs and lows throughout his health journey. "In the old days, I would take three months out, lose 60 or 70 pounds, and then reward myself with a six-pack or whatever and just go back to my old habits," he explained in 2017. "This time I wanted to do it slowly. Move, exercise. His sensible approach-lots of walking and a Mediterranean diet heavy on fish, vegetables and nuts-has helped him maintain a 200-pound weight loss. "It's a life of rehab," he admitted to Men's Health. “No carbs,” he told Entertainment Tonight of his winning formula that also included a lot of daily cardio. “I have cheated a couple times, but basically no carbs, not even a cracker. No bread at all. No pizza, nothing. No corn, no beans, no starches of any kind. And to wash it all down, “I don’t drink anything but water,” he said. “No coffee, no tea, no soda.”

Tammy Slaton

A huge loss has led to some pretty big gains for the 1000-lb Sisters star. "Like being able to buckle a seatbelt and not have to use an extender. It's big for me. Now, continued the reality star, "I'm more or less like giving myself a pat on the back for achieving something and doing it. Getting the weight off and living. That's what I'm doing. I can finally say I'm living life."

Brittany Cartwright

Raise your glasses high to this healthy take from the Vanderpump Rules alum. While the Jenny Craig brand ambassador is hoping to see some results now that she's recommitted to the meal plan, "I'm also just trying to maintain and be the best version of myself for my son," she explained to E! News in February. "I just think it's important to show him a healthy routine," said the future star of The Valley. "Working out is so important to me and for my mental health. "I'm really proud of my journey," the star told People in 2023. "Fitness has become a part of my lifestyle. And with all the work she's been putting in, she continued, “I might have to drop a Hottie Bootcamp sometime soon." A little sample: A heart-pounding mix of deadlifts, jump-roping, forward lunges and mountain climbers. "This s--t burn like a motherf--ker," she said in one video. "But I know you see them thighs popping."

Shay Mitchell

When the world shut down in March 2020, mere months after the Pretty Little Liars alum gave birth to her first daughter Atlas, "I felt the least motivated I ever have," she shared with E! News. Workout plans were tossed out the window along with her long-held "everything in moderation" way of eating. After four straight weeks kicking off her mornings with lemon-infused warm water and a 30-minute sweat session ("It included HIIT, it included cardio, it included strength training," she said of the varied full-body routines) and recommitting to healthy meal choices ("If I want pizza, I'll have pizza and dump some spinach on it") she was a convert. "I was like, 'Hoooooly…' you know," she admitted. "I've been active my entire life. I have never lifted a 40-pound weight, lifted a 50-pound."

Lexi Reed

Though the fitness influencer does a fair amount of sweating, it's never about the small stuff. The social media star-also known as Fat Girl Fed Up online-revealed in a December Instagram that she didn't quite hit her goal of getting under 200 pounds. "I have to keep reminding myself progress is progress, no matter how small," she noted. "I just know I worked really hard this week. But it's OK, because I didn't gain all that weight overnight, I'm not gonna lose it overnight either. Because she knows all of her health goals are within reach. "I will get to wonderland," she said. "Whether it's next week or next year, we're gonna get there, eventually. "

Dylan Efron

"I got a nutritionist back in April. However, they cautioned, don't assume you're going to nail that metaphorical aerial on your first try. "It took three weeks before I saw any change," the Love That Story author admitted. "Used to wear a shirt in the pool as a kid so I decided in my late twenties I wanted to change my body and become a meat head," the actor, wed to model Barbara Palvin, captioned an Instagram post that April. Between hitting the weights and the kettlebells, it was "a long slog," he continued, "but I'm proud of the progress I've made and I ain't done yet."

Jessie James Decker

The Just Eat author has turned to her tried-and-true South Beach diet to feel more herself after the births of her older children. "I saw results instantly," she told E! News of the protein-heavy plan. But first she soaks up every second of the postpartum period. "I always tell mothers, like, that should be the last thing on your mind," stressed Decker, mom to Vivianne, Eric Jr., Forrest and February 2024 arrival Denver. "After you have a baby, please do not think about trying to lose weight. Just feed your baby. Love on your baby. You have a newborn. Your body is trying to heal. You will know when your body is ready. But completing an ambitious bucket list is really what drives him. "A lot of my life goals outside of acting have to do with the outdoors-I know I want to climb big rock walls in Yosemite, and so, I want to get fit for that," he explained. "I go and pick up my child," she told E! News of her "sweet angel" daughter. Staring into Kingsley's eyes "allows you to be grateful versus kind of nitpicking yourself," she explained of her strategy.

Rebel Wilson

Sometimes you're hitting every high note, sometimes you're admitting life isn't always pitch perfect. The extra stress leading to extra pounds, "It makes me feel bad about myself," Wilson admitted, "it shouldn’t…but it does."

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