Bring It On: All or Nothing star Giovonnie Samuels discussed body image in her latest TikTok after she was compared to her co-stars, Solange and Francia Raisa (grown-ish).
According to E!, Samuels, also known for her roles on All That and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, responded to a TikToker who made a video about her being presented as “fat” in the film compared to Solange’s and Raisa’s characters. Samuels explained that due to Solange’s and Raisa’s body types, “of course…I’m going to look huge. And to make matters worse, I did gain weight for the role.”
“No shade to either one of these ladies, but [Solange] doesn’t have any boobs. I do. I’m a size DD at the time of the film,” she continued. “Yeah, Francia is a little curvier, but she also doesn’t have as big of boobs as I do…If you think it affected you guys mentally…it’s definitely affected me and my appearance my entire career.”
She did say that while Hollywood is getting better at body diversity, “it still has a long way to go.”
Check out the video below.
@only1giovonnie#greenscreenvideo #greenscreen @franciaraisa #SolangeKnowles #bringiton #slimthick #giovonnie #foryou #foryoupage #bodypositivity♬ original sound – Giovonnie Samuels
The star received tons of support after making the video, including one user saying they inspired to go into sports because of Samuels.
And, to Samuels’ point, Hollywood is at the very beginning of encouraging body diversity and talking openly about body diversity, as well as hiring creatives who represent this.
Insecure star and writer Nathasha Rothwell, for example, has been a fan favorite on the show and has now signed an overall creative deal with ABC. Danielle Brooks became a star with Orange is the New Black and can be seen in the Lifetime film Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia. And Will Smith, who is usually known for his action/comedy films, is documenting the changes he’s seen with his body in the upcoming series Best Shape of My Life, as he strives for better health post-pandemic shutdown.
