Raven-Symoné has spoken out about the financial and personal cost of her fashion choices early in her career, stating that she had to purchase all of her own red carpet attire as a teenager because designers did not offer her size.
"My fashion is never free," the "That's So Raven" alum said on a recent episode of her podcast, "Tea Time with Raven & Miranda." She explained to her wife and co-host, Miranda Maday, that she has "had to buy it my whole entire life because of my size."
Raven-Symoné, 40, noted that unlike some current celebrities who receive free products and treatments due to promotional deals, she did not have those advantages growing up. "I had to buy everything that I wore on those carpets. I had to buy those thousand-dollar outfits because no one had my size," she stated. "So fashion could f–k off... And I’m not sorry for saying that because no one ever took care of me back then."
The actress mentioned that she now wears clothing from "friends' clothing" lines, as they come from "people that actually care about people [her] size, cuz now it’s like cool to be thick."
This is not the first time Raven-Symoné has discussed body image and her experiences as a child star. In a 2023 episode of her podcast, she revealed undergoing "two breast reductions and lipo" before the age of 18. She described her father suggesting the procedures to help her feel more comfortable and asked if lipo would stop people from calling her fat. "So I got a twofer. It was just a mess, just being that young and the pain of it all," she recalled.
She later had another breast reduction surgery after gaining weight, which led to complications, including a seizure. Raven-Symoné also shared experiences of being bullied about her weight during her time on "The Cosby Show" from 1989 to 1992. She recalled being told she couldn't eat certain foods at age seven because she was "getting fat."