Raven-Symoné has opened up on the impact costume fittings had on her as a child star.
Raven-Symoné has revealed she stopped eating bagels aged 9 because of the impact costume fittings had on her body image.
The 40-year-old former child star, who started acting at the age of three before landing her own Disney Channel series That So Raven in her late teens, admitted that costume designers would often make unfiltered comments about her body while they were settling on her costume for a show.
She told the Allure Perspectives podcast: “By the age of nine, I knew that I couldn’t have bagels and cream cheese in the morning.
“Because my outfit would show how big my tummy was.”
Raven is grateful to have seen the way language used in fittings has changed over the years.
However, she insisted those childhood experiences helped her develop a thicker skin.
She added: “I want everyone to be in a healthy brain space … as our society becomes more educated in how you can cause body dysmorphia just by saying, ‘Oh, we have to let [this costume] out today.'”
Elsewhere in the interview, Raven admitted she regrets her past breast reductions, which she first underwent aged just 15.
She explained: “I was too young. I should have done it after puberty.
“I mean, they still look good, but it was hastily done. I wish I was stronger to say no.”
The Cheetah Girls star insisted she never had a problem with her larger bust.
She quipped: “Oh girl, I got into anything! I was first in line. Push these little babies up, they get you anywhere. These triple Ds were popping.”
Back in December 2024, Raven recalled the pressure she faced, with her own father suggesting “strongly” she got it done.
Speaking on her Tea Time podcast, she said: “I went from a triple D all the way down to a B. Someone said I needed to do it in order to get a show.”
Raven revealed she still has “scars” as a result of the surgery, and as she woke up, the anaesthesia caused her to suffer a seizure.
She added: “I have scars. I still have scar tissue to this day.
“And I gained weight after and had to, like, go back for a quick little, like, [get] a little bit more out ‘cause [my breasts] were still too big for others’ feelings.”
At the same time as the breast reduction, Raven also had liposuction, which was prompted by hearing people commenting on her weight.
She recalled: “I was like, ‘Yeah, if I get lipo, will people stop calling me fat?’ And so, I got a twofer.”
Raven-Symone stopped eating bagels aged 9 because of costume fittings
