“I Love My Thicky, Thicky Self”: 10 Stars Who Happily Gained Weight
Losing weight is truly a feat worthy of applause. If you’ve ever dropped more than a few pounds, you know how much commitment and discipline it takes to make that happen. And while we root for people and celebrate such hard work, it doesn’t mean that vice versa, gaining weight is always a problematic thing. Granted, gaining a great deal of weight can be alarming, but for those of us who feel we have to be a certain size or fit a certain look or else, we’ve unhealthily trained ourselves to believe that gaining any weight is a big no-no.
However, it hasn’t stopped women in the public eye, who are judged to the max, from giving themselves and their bodies a break. Not everyone wants to be waif thin. Eating extremely clean all day, every day can be rough. And the different chapters of life sometimes require your body to change. You can either embrace it or change it.
But take it from the following women: As long as you love yourself, some happy weight isn’t a bad thing.
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Brandy
Earlier this month, the 39-year-old beauty said she’s embracing the curves she has now. The extra backside and boobs are courtesy of a “foodcation” Brandy said she’s been on since 2017.
“I went on a foodcation because I’d been eating clean for seven something odd years, in the gym, every day, playing tennis,” she said. “I was like, ‘Yo, I’m tired of this crazy discipline. I need something to eat! I want some pasta! I want some pizza! I want some cake! I want something other than salmon, broccoli and asparagus and water! Every day! Right after Roxie in Washington D.C., I went on a foodcation, honey. And I’m telling you, it’s been very tough for me to want to get off of it.”
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Raven-Symoné
When speaking to Oprah in 2015 about her changing figure, Symoné told her that while she had slimmed down significantly years prior, “I love my thicky, thicky self.” Since then, the star has put on some weight and embraced it, becoming outspoken about the need for people to be more accepting of the diverse bodies of women.
“When I was at my heaviest, like 185 pounds, people would be like ‘Are you pregnant? Are you pregnant?’ and I’m like, ‘No, I’m fat, get away from me,'” she said on The View. “This goes through all of our industry, just fat-shaming in general. Not accepting of females’ bodies.”
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Erykah Badu
Nothing says body confidence at any size like dancing around in your underwear on Instagram. The 47-year-old embraced cuffing season fluffiness with the following clip:
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Tia Mowry
When the actress put on a few pounds around the time that she started her cooking show in 2015, Mowry hit back at her haters.
“I’ve gained these extra 10 [or] 15 pounds because of my cooking show,” she said at the time. “I’m just enjoying life and, when I want to drop the pounds, I will, but right now I’m happy with who I am.”
“We need to be more supportive with body images, especially with women, showing that all sizes are beautiful,” she added. “And I’m talking about in magazines, advertisement[s] in regard to what’s sexy and what’s not sexy. We all need to be a little more supportive of each other. I think if we start there, we’ll see a difference.”
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Rihanna
When Rihanna initially stepped out thicker, the 30-year-old was though to be pregnant. But instead, it was just happy weight. And she’s absolutely fine with it.
“You’ve just got to laugh at yourself, honestly. I mean, I know when I’m having a fat day and when I’ve lost weight. I accept all of the bodies,” she told Vogue. “I’m not built like a Victoria’s Secret girl, and I still feel very beautiful and confident in my lingerie.”
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Lauren London
When Lauren London gave birth to her second child in 2016, she found herself dealing with online critics. But London had no time for the shenanigans.
“I had just had a baby and I went to a Laker game and they were like, ‘Oh my God she lost it! Look at her! Looks a mess! She’s so big now!'” London said while appearing on CBS’ The Talk in 2017.
“For me, it was like, I just gave birth on a whole ‘nother level. I did some God work,” she added. “I love myself. Weight comes and goes. And I’m a woman and I like pizza and I like french fries and I like burgers and I’m not going to deprive myself of things that I like and enjoy because of how people see me.”
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Monica
Monica has always been small, but recently she stepped on the scale and found herself at a weight she wasn’t used to. While she initially felt self-conscious about it, husband Shannon Brown’s encouraging words ultimately left her feeling herself:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhFVmraAvbF/?hl=en&taken-by=monicabrown
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Nicki Minaj
Ever since coming back from a hiatus to work on her upcoming album, people have noticed that Nicki Minaj is thicker than before. But if you thought that was going to be a problem for the 35-year-old MC, think again. She’s loving the curves she’s sporting:
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Tyra Banks
Banks recently slimmed down per the recommendation of her doctor, but over the last few years (post the whole “kiss my fat a–” moment), she was a fan of carrying around a little more weight than what people were used to.
Looking back at old footage of herself from the ’90s, Banks said of why she preferred her fuller look, “I think it’s gaining weight,” she said. “I look like a different person now because I have more weight on my body and face.”
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Jada Pinkett Smith
The 46-year-old star has never really been anything other than teeny, but when she put on some weight a few years ago, she was so happy about it she had to share (that and an encouraging message):
