Ciara Says Husband Russell Wilson Helped Her Accept Her Body After Past Struggles
Singer and entrepreneur Ciara is the embodiment of how pure love from one's family can positively impact their self-image, especially when it comes to one's physical appearance.
The 37-year-old, who has been a part of the entertainment industry for nearly two decades, recently shared during an interview with Yahoo Life how her husband of almost seven years, Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson and their blended family of three children helped her love her body, regardless of its state.
In the discussion, Ciara revealed that her self-confidence in her body wavered early, like everyone else, because of the societal standards of beauty and the pressure of trying to fit in with others.
The "Level Up" vocalist added that her career in the music industry and the training she had to endure as an up-and-coming artist also played a part in her wanting to be the perfect physical representation. In 2004, Ciara first rose to fame when she released her track "Goodies" featuring Petey Pablo.
Ciara On Why She Started Taking Her Physical Health More Seriously
During that process, the "For Da Girls" songstress explained the training increased her dancing abilities and helped her understand the importance of taking care of herself by incorporating physical exercise into her daily routine.
"Movement for me is a big part of how I communicate, how I release and definitely a big way of how I express myself. I identified with dancing and movement at a very, very young age," she said. "But I've become more connected to working out as I've gotten older — having my career as an entertainer, wanting to be prepared for music videos or being prepared for the stage. All of those made me start to take working out more seriously."
Ciara On Her Husband Russell Inspiring Her To Be a Better Version of Herself
Although Ciara would go on to gain success in the music industry by releasing seven studio albums and selling millions of records, the mother of three disclosed that she didn't fully appreciate her body until meeting her husband, Russell Wilson.
The "And I" singer expressed that Russell helped shift her mindset regarding her body by loving her "curves" and celebrating them, which she says helps her give herself grace if things are imperfect.
"I give myself grace, and my honey, Russ, he loves my curves. So he celebrates that, which I love. So I don't stress as much now, I think as I would have when I was younger," she said.
Further in the interview, Ciara described another way Russell had inspired her to become a better woman was by "his level of commitment and dedication" in everything he does.
"We talked about in our earlier days being equally yoked. He and I were a lot alike from day one. So oftentimes, when we're doing things or aspiring to achieve the next goal or trying to level up our game — for him with football, and for me with music — we kind of run parallel," she shared while discussing how the pair encourage one another. "When we're working out, we're really encouraging each other, really celebrating each other, which I really love. I think he's the best at what he does and to see like his level of commitment and dedication to what he does, I get so inspired. I do feel like a better woman because of him."
Ciara On How She Wants To Be An Example For Her Three Children When It Comes to Self-Love
Another factor that positively affected Ciara's self-image was motherhood. Ciara shares two children, Sienna Wilson and Win Wilson, with Russell. The singer also has a son Future Wilburn with rapper Future.
Ciara spoke about how becoming a mother and physically carrying her children showed her the significance of maintaining one's health, especially dealing with diastasis recti after giving birth to Sienna.
According to Healthline, diastasis recti is a condition that causes an individual's abdominal muscles to separate after birth. This condition can correct itself through core strength exercises.
Ciara told the publication that she ended up loving her body's appearance, even with the condition that could leave one with a pouch appearance in the abdominal area, because she saw the "proudest achievement" she created, her three babies.
"That is like a whole different beast of something to deal with, on top of trying to lose baby weight and get to a spot where I feel really good about myself," she said. "But because of this, I look at my belly and I go, my three precious babies came out of this belly. It's my proudest achievement in life to have been able to do that. So I just have perspective on it."
Ciara wrapped up the conversation by saying this was an important lesson for her to conquer because she wants her children to know that it is good to be confident in oneself and appreciate one's "unique attributes."
"I just want to continually encourage my baby girl, especially, but all my babies to feel confident in their skin and who they are. To know that God blessed them with their amazing and unique attributes that they have and that make us who we are and it's so amazing to embrace who you are," she said.
Ciara continues to showcase positive body images by captivating millions with her viral social media posts.
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Feature image by Lionel Hahn/Getty Images
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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The Champion's Path: How Cari Champion Is Redefining Roles For Black Women In Media
Cari Champion has had many dream jobs. All of them have helped inform what she does and does not want for herself moving forward. “I get more and more curious. My dreams evolve. My desires change,” she said. “And I feel sorry for people who can’t experience that because it’s a beautiful feeling, it’s a beautiful challenge, and it makes you everything that you are.”
When we speak in late April, the journalist and media personality is preparing for a visit to Atlanta for The Black Effect Podcast Festival. The trip would allow her to spend time in a city that she said taught her a lot about herself and working in the media industry.
Champion was still early in her career when she worked for Atlanta’s CBS affiliate news station, where she was fired, reinstated, and subsequently quit after being accused of accidentally cursing on air in 2008. (“I didn’t. They knew I didn’t. I said ‘mothersucka,’” she said of the hot mic incident.) Still, the Los Angeles native insists she only has the fondest memories of her time in the southern city.
“I grew up in West LA, then moved to Pasadena, and those kinds of familial, tight-knit Black groups just didn’t exist. LA is spread out in a lot of ways,” she said. “To me, Atlanta ultimately built this woman that I am today and [is] why I speak so comfortably for us and for Black people. I had to have that entire experience.”
"To me, Atlanta ultimately built this woman that I am today and [is] why I speak so comfortably for us and for Black people."
It’s been 16 years since Champion moved from Atlanta and her career, as well as her desire to center Black voices in her work, has soared. After working as an anchor and court-side reporter for The Tennis Channel, she spent nearly a decade working as a host and anchor on ESPN for shows such as First Take and SportsCenter.
By the time she began hosting Cari & Jemele: Stick to Sports, on Vice TV with Jemele Hill in 2020, Champion had increasingly become determined to shun the notion that only sports reporters and athletes could credibly discuss sports. The Vice show featured guests such as LeBron James and Magic Johnson, but also Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Sen. Cory Booker.
At a time when America was reckoning with its racial history, Champion solidified herself as a trailblazer for Black women in sports media, as well as a crucial voice for cultural commentary. Today, she regularly appears on CNN discussing sports, culture, and politics.
Champion is now hosting the fourth season of the podcast Naked with Cari Champion on The Black Effect Podcast Festival, which is a partnership between iHeartMedia and Charlamagne Tha God, a media personality and a friend. “We kind of grew up together in this game. And when we first started figuring out or getting attention on a different type of level than we were used to, we learned a lot together,” she said of Charlamagne. “He put this network together for people who are beginning [and] people who are old-heads in the business. He wanted to make sure that all of us had a voice.”
It’s been an adjustment for a traditional TV reporter to transition into podcasting, but Champion said she’s found the medium to be a “much more freeing world.” When she’s speaking to guests such as talk show host Tamron Hall, singer Muni Long, or retired athlete Sanya Richards-Ross, she can “get lost in a conversation” and embrace a more casual environment than the structure of a cable TV show would allow.
Behind the scenes, Champion’s still doing her part to make sure there continues to be a pipeline of Black and brown women in journalism and beyond, too.
In 2018, she launched the nonprofit Brown Girls Dream and enlisted her celebrity friends to help mentor young women in a way that she felt she was never able to receive in the early years of her own career. “When I was at ESPN, I used to get all these emails from different Black and brown girls in the business. They wanted to talk to me about how they could [have the opportunity to] do the same thing [as me],” Champion said. “It fills my heart to see somebody actually get an opportunity to talk to somebody who can guide them through their career.”
Current Brown Girls Dream mentors include journalists Jemele Hill and Nichelle Turner, marketing executive Bozoma Saint John, and more. “These women are just the dopest ever and they take time out to give back to brown girls,” Champion said. “It’s special.”
When she reflects on representation in sports media roles, the Naked host said she’s inspired by the women of color she sees on television today. “I think women of color are doing great. It’s become more and more common to be on air and be Black girl magic,” she said.
“I think that the next level for us, in terms of Black and brown women in this business succeeding, is having true power over what our words are and what the content is,” she added. “Because, when push comes to shove and we want to really tell a story, we sometimes have to acquiesce, and we can't tell the story the way we want to. The next level is that we actually do have editorial control.”
"I think that the next level for us, in terms of Black and brown women in this business succeeding, is having true power over what our words are and what the content is."
Ultimately, Champion is still dreaming and looking to make an impact. She said she wants to eventually launch her own Black news network. “I would love to have a huge platform that focused on the stories that I think Black and brown women care about,” Champion said. “There are so many stories that are being missed.”
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Featured image Emma McIntyre / Staff/Getty Images
