The old saying “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” is something that Angela Simmons can attest to. Since stepping into the spotlight as a teenager alongside her family on the reality TV series Run’s House, the mother of one has often been met with criticism. For most of her adult years, Angela said she struggled with her weight and has often received negative comments about her body. However, she began chewing up the negativity and spitting out body positivity through her social media platforms.
But it wasn’t easy. Angela stopped by the Tamron Hall Show and discussed people criticizing her body and how she’s been able to maneuver through the noise.
“When I was 10 years old, I remember being young and having journals and writing how I felt about myself and I used to think I was fat,” she explained. “I would look at the journal and I would have a stick figure, what I want to look like and what I thought I looked like.”
When she turned 19, she moved out to L.A. and began extreme dieting which resulted in her losing a massive amount of weight. But now that she’s older, she has learned to manage her weight in a healthy way. But she was still a target of negative comments.
Most recently, photos from a runway show where she wore a swimsuit went viral and in response to the criticism, the model praised her “raw and unedited” body.
Taking the high road could be stemmed from a conversation she had with her father Rev Run, from the legendary rap group Run DMC, after she was body-shamed years ago due to photos from a beach day appearing on the internet.
“I remember having this moment. At the time it was online, everything was online and there was a photo of me,” she recalled. “And it was a really bad angle. And there was like cellulite and I was really down.”
Angela called her dad and told him what was going on and he gave her a piece of advice that she kept with her. “He was like ‘look, you really think that it matters. There is probably like 100,000 people on this site and there’s a whole world.’”
“I was like, you know what? Who cares what those people think. I am going to stand in my truth and be who I am and after that day, I never went back. I don’t care about that.”
And when it comes to social media comments, she either blocks the people leaving negative comments or she doesn’t look. Angela continues to champion bodies through her Built Not Bought campaign and most recently, she launched a vegan funnel cake business.
Why Angela Simmons Is More Comfortable In Her Skin Than Ever-Before
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