Whitney Thore, the star of TLC's "My Big Fat Fabulous Life," has been open about her weight journey and the public's often intrusive commentary on her body. She has navigated fluctuating weight, health challenges, and the constant scrutiny of viewers and social media users.
Whitney's Weight Fluctuations
Whitney addressed the issue of her weight directly, stating, "I hate addressing this." She provided specific details about her weight fluctuations over the years. She revealed that in 2015, during season 1 of her show, she weighed 385 pounds. In 2018, she experienced a weight loss of 50 pounds. Later, during a difficult period when her mother fell ill and eventually passed away in December 2022, she lost an additional 50 pounds.
Despite these fluctuations, Whitney emphasized, "I'm still very fat." This statement underscores the reality that weight loss and gain are complex and personal experiences.
Dealing with Invasive Questions
Whitney has also had to deal with invasive questions about her weight loss. One Instagram user questioned, "Did you get surgery? You look half the size!" Whitney firmly responded, "No." She further clarified, "I'm not though, and that's why these comments are frustrating. I weigh the exact same as I did in Switzerland and no one was freaking out then. I have not lost any weight since then."
Whitney's response highlights the frustration many individuals face when their bodies are subjected to public speculation and judgment. She also alludes to the fact that people's perceptions can be skewed and that she weighed the same amount in Switzerland as she does now.
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Celebrities Embracing Body Positivity
Whitney isn't alone in her experiences. Many other celebrities have also spoken out about body image, self-acceptance, and the pressures they face in the public eye.
Chrissy Teigen
Chrissy Teigen has emphasized the importance of normalizing "regular bodies." She stated, "I think, in a way, we've forgotten what a regular body looks like. There are people out there who are struggling, and I'm struggling, and it's okay to come to terms with realizing it's going to be a bit of a journey. I'm not blind: I see my body, I see the difference in shape, I see that I gained weight. But I also see with those same eyes that I have a beautiful baby boy, and an amazing little girl, and I am very happy."
Jonah Hill
Jonah Hill has shared his journey of overcoming insecurities related to his body. He recounted an experience where paparazzi photos of him surfing were published online. "I don't think I ever took my shirt off in a pool until I was in my mid 30s even in front of family and friends," he wrote. "Probably would have happened sooner if my childhood insecurities weren't exacerbated by years of public mockery about my body by press and interviewers. So the idea that the media tries to play me by stalking me while surfing and printing photos like this and it can't phase me anymore is dope." He has even debuted a tattoo reading "Body Love," which parodies the logo of water sports apparel company Body Glove.
Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato, who has battled bulimia for years, has been open about self-love and acceptance. In 2018, she wrote on Instagram, "Stretch marks and extra fat…And yet I still love myself." She later told E! News, "I was on Instagram and I started comparing myself to these Instagram models and I just thought to myself, someone needs to show my fans and anybody that's looking at my account that what you see isn't always what's real." In December 2020, she posted photos showing her stretch marks outlined with glitter.
Cindy Crawford
Cindy Crawford offered a dose of reality with the quote, "See? Even I don't wake up looking like Cindy Crawford," reminding everyone about the power of a good glam squad.
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Kate Winslet
Kate Winslet emphasized the importance of instilling a positive body image from a young age. "As a child, I never heard one woman say to me, 'I love my body.' Not my mother, my elder sister, my best friend. No one woman has ever said, 'I am so proud of my body.' I make sure to say it to [my daughter] Mia, because a positive physical outlook has to start at an early age."
Mindy Kaling
Mindy Kaling encouraged everyone to embrace their bodies and wear what they want. "IDK who needs to hear this but…WEAR A BIKINI IF YOU WANT TO WEAR A BIKINI. You don't have to be a size 0."
Gabourey Sidibe
Gabourey Sidibe shared her personal journey to self-confidence. "People always ask me, 'You have so much confidence. Where did that come from?' It came from me. One day I decided that I was beautiful, and so I carried out my life as if I was a beautiful girl. I wear colors that I really like, I wear makeup that makes me feel pretty, and it really helps. It doesn't have anything to do with how the world perceives you. What matters is what you see. Your body is your temple, it's your home, and you must decorate it."
Lena Dunham
Lena Dunham has been vocal about not caring what others think of her body. "I feel I've made it pretty clear over the years that I don't give even the tiniest of s--ts what anyone else feels about my body. I've gone on red carpets in couture as a size 14. I've done sex scenes days after surgery, mottled with scars. I've accepted that my body is an ever changing organism, not a fixed entity-what goes up must come down and vice versa. I smile just as wide no matter my current size because I'm proud of what this body has seen and done and represented."
Emma Stone
Emma Stone has spoken about the pressure to maintain a certain weight and the importance of self-compassion. "No matter how things look from the outside, we can all be super critical of ourselves and of our image in the mirror. I've seen articles or comments that have addressed my weight, or 'caving to pressure to be thin.' Keeping weight on is a struggle for me-especially when I'm under stress, and especially as I've gotten older….I remind myself to be kind to myself, and as slightly ridiculous as it may sound, to treat myself in the same gentle way I'd want to treat a daughter of mine. It really helps."
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Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep offered advice to young women, encouraging them not to worry too much about their weight and to embrace their unique qualities. "For young women, I would say, don't worry so much about your weight. Girls spend way too much time thinking about that, and there are better things. For young men, and women, too, what makes you different or weird, that's your strength. Everyone tries to look a cookie-cutter kind of way and actually the people who look different are the ones who get picked up. I used to hate my nose. Now I don't. It's okay."
Viola Davis
Viola Davis emphasized the importance of self-acceptance and embracing one's true self. "You know, when I was handed Annalise Keating, I said, 'She's sexy, she's mysterious, you know?' I'm used to playing women who gotta gain 40 pounds and have to wear an apron. So I said, 'Oh God, I've got to lose weight, I've got to learn how to walk like Kerry Washington in heels, you know, I've got to lose my belly.' And then I asked myself, 'Well, why do I have to do all that?' I truly believe that the privilege of a lifetime is being who you are, and I just recently embraced that at 51. I think my strongest power is that at ten o'clock every Thursday night, I want you to come into my world. I am not going to come into yours. You come into my world and you sit with me, my size, my hue, my age, and you sit, and you experience."
Lizzo
Lizzo has challenged the double standards surrounding body image and confidence. "When people look at my body and be like, 'Oh my God, she's so brave,' it's like, 'No, I'm not.' I'm just fine. I'm just me. I'm just sexy. If you saw Anne Hathaway in a bikini on a billboard, you wouldn't call her brave. I just think there's a double standard when it comes to women….I don't like it when people think it's hard for me to see myself as beautiful. I don't like it when people are shocked that I'm doing it."
Zendaya
Zendaya has spoken out against excessive photoshopping and unrealistic beauty standards. In 2016, she called out a magazine for photoshopping her, writing on Instagram, "These are the things that make women self conscious, that create the unrealistic ideals of beauty that we have. Anyone who knows who I am knows I stand for honest and pure self love." She later said, "There is no such thing as ugly. That's a word that doesn't really enter my vocabulary. If there's any definition to being perfect, you're perfect at being yourself. No other person can be you 100 percent; no one has your fingerprint; no one has your DNA. You are you 120 percent, through and through. Whether it is through my social media or whatever, I want anyone who looks up to me to know that I go through the same problems. I have to be confident in who I am."
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence has emphasized the importance of self-acceptance and not dieting to please others. "You have to look past it-you look how you look, and be comfortable. What are you going to do? Be hungry every single day to make other people happy? That's just dumb."
Serena Williams
Serena Williams has celebrated her strength, power, and beauty as a "full woman." "I love that I'm a full woman and I am strong, and I'm powerful, and I'm beautiful at the same time. And there's nothing wrong like that. It's so important to look at the positives; if I get caught up looking at the negatives, it can really bring you down. I don't have time to be brought down, I've got too many things to do. I have Grand Slams to win, I have people to inspire, and that's what I'm here for."
Isla Fisher
Isla Fisher avoids scales and promotes acceptance. "I don't even own a scale. I have two young girls, and I wouldn't want them to see me weighing myself all the time. I don't think it sends the right message….For me, so much about life is acceptance. You can look in the mirror and find a million things wrong with yourself. Or you can look in the mirror and think, I feel good, I have my health, and I'm so blessed. That's the way I choose to look at it. I don't need to be perfect. I'm doing just fine."
Amy Adams
Amy Adams shared how pregnancy helped her understand her body's true purpose. "Being pregnant finally helped me understand what my true relationship was with my body-meaning that it wasn't put on this earth to look good in a swimsuit. I was like, 'Look, I can carry a baby! I'm gaining weight right, everything's going well.' And I've had that relationship ever since."
Camila Mendes
Camila Mendes questioned the prioritization of thinness over health. "When did being thin become more important than being healthy? I recently went to a naturopath for the first time in my life. I told her about my anxiety around food and my obsession with dieting. She phrased a pivotal question in such a way that struck a chord with me: what other things could you be thinking about if you didn't spend all your time thinking about your diet? I suddenly remembered all the activities I love that used to occupy my time. At some point in my life, I allowed my obsession with being thin to consume me, and I refused to make room in my mind for any other concerns….I'm done believing in the idea that there's a thinner, happier version of me on the other side of all the tireless effort. Your body type is subject to genetics, and while eating nutrient-dense foods and exercising regularly will make you healthier, it will not necessarily make you thinner."
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga responded to chatter about her Super Bowl appearance by promoting body positivity. "I heard my body is a topic of conversation so I wanted to say, I'm proud of my body and you should be proud of yours too. No matter who you are or what you do. I could give you a million reasons why you don't need to cater to anyone or anything to succeed. Be you, and be relentlessly you. That's the stuff of champions."
Sam Smith
Sam Smith shared their journey of reclaiming their body and fighting back against body trauma. "In the past if I have ever done a photo shoot with so much as a t-shirt on, I have starved myself for weeks in advance and then picked and prodded at every picture and then normally taken the picture down," they shared about a photoshoot, in which they bared their body. "Yesterday I decided to fight the f--k back, reclaim my body and stop trying to change this chest and these hips and these curves that my mum and dad made and love so unconditionally. Some may take this as narcissistic and showing off but if you knew how much courage it took to do this and the body trauma I have experienced as a kid you wouldn't think those things."
Ashley Graham
Ashley Graham emphasizes the power of positive self-talk. "I look at myself naked in the mirror and say, 'You know what, awkward butt shape? You're not gonna get higher or rounder but it's OK, because I've got Spanx for you.' Your words have so much power."