Angela Simmons Shares How Her Father Rev Run Inspired Her To Embrace Her Body
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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Viola Davis On Beauty Standards Changing In Hollywood: 'We Are Beyond Male Desirability'
Actress Viola Davis is shedding light on beauty standards and how it has transformed throughout the years.
The 57-year-old has touched on this topic numerous times throughout her career, which spans over three decades. In the past, Davis revealed that she felt inadequate because of her physical appearance due to constantly being told she wasn't beautiful or enough.
Since then, the EGOT winner has overcome those insecurities and used her platform to share a positive message to those who need them. In a recent interview withPEOPLE magazine while attending the 76th annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, Davis shared that the shift is because many now know that beauty is "beyond male desirability."
Viola On Beauty Standards
During the discussion, the How To Get Away with Murder star also mentioned that another factor contributing to the transformation is that people associate beauty with mental health, which she claimed inspired her partnership with makeup brand L'Oreal.
"I think beauty standards have changed. I think that what's shifted is that whole idea of mental health being associated with beauty [and] of understanding who we are beyond male desirability. It's really a huge part of why I decided to become a part of L'Oreal, that whole statement of 'I'm worth it,'" she said.
Further in the interview, Davis recounted her past experiences of being told she wasn't beautiful and mentioned how it destroyed her because, growing up, she knew that beauty was tied to worthiness.
"What destroyed me was people constantly telling me that I was not beautiful. [You might think] why would you be upset with that? Because beauty is attached with worth and value. And I refuse to believe that I'm not worth it just based on a sort of idea and perception of what people think classical beauty is," she stated.
The Woman King star added that since the shift in beauty standards, women are now being "encouraged to speak their truth a little bit more" in certain situations such as one's goals, sexual assault, mental illness, etc. With that, Davis explained that people are now seeing the beauty within others and applauding them for it.
"Now women are encouraged to speak their truth a little bit more. We see that with sexual assault, with mental illness, with being burnt-out mamas, with following our dreams and our hopes that we have for our lives," she said.
"Back in the day, we hid our pain behind perfectly applied lipstick and wax floors. Now we don't do that anymore. We're saying this is who we are, beyond the makeup and the hair. I see that. I see that with my daughter's generation."
Viola On The Message She Shares With Her Daughter
As the conversation shifted to the advice Davis gives her teenage daughter Genesis Tennon --whom she with her husband, Julius Tennon-- when it comes to beauty, the star disclosed that she motivates Tennon to become the "love" of her own life.
Davis said she shared these sentiments because she wants Tennon to advocate for herself in various situations when others disappoint her and cross her boundaries.
"I told my daughter this morning that she has to have a love affair with herself. That she is indeed the love of her life. I said, 'I love you, but it's not me, it's not some boy. At the end of the day, you can't disappoint yourself. You have to advocate for yourself," she stated. "You have to show up for her.' And it's not just spa treatments and a glass of wine. It's in showing up when someone hurts you. Creating boundaries and when someone crosses it."
Davis wrapped up her remarks by saying she spread positive messages like this to Tennon and the world because she was not "taught" that loving oneself meant being one's supporter.
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