*Queen Latifah appeared on “Red Table Talk” on June 8 and opened up to hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris about weight stigma in society.
At one point, Latifah recalled being told to lose weight while starring on the popular 1990s show “Living Single.”
“The word came down that we needed to lose weight,” she said, as reported by Pop Sugar. “We’re on the number one show among Black and Latino households in America and you’re telling us we need to lose weight. Maybe you’re the one with the problem.”
She continued: “We’re also taught these ideas of beauty, you know — this is what you’re supposed to look like. But when you have these pictures painted for you and it’s implanted over generations, that’s the problem.”
READ MORE: Queen Latifah Wants to Change the Obesity Convo | WATCH
Latifah went on to explain her struggle to find designers who cater to plus-size women.
“It’s like, if I was a size 24 and I have style, I still want to rock what the size two is wearing. But the designers are like, no, we’re going to stop right here,” she said. “OK, have you checked the stats on the sizes of the people in the country? I think you might want to make some clothes in this size. What’s the problem, don’t you get it? No, you don’t want to get it, you don’t want us to look like this . . . You don’t want us to live this fullness.”
She also described her experience working with a “scientific and mathematic” trainer who explained to the rapper/actress the Body Mass Index (BMI) chart, which categorizes people as either: underweight, healthy, overweight or obese.
“She’s showing me different body types, and she’s telling me, this is what your BMI is, this is what your weight is, and you fall into this category of obesity,” Latifah said. “I was mad at that. It pissed me off. I was like, ‘What? Me?’ I mean, I’m just thick. She said you are 30% over where you should be. And I’m like, ‘Obesity?’”
Billboard writes: “A large 2003 study that People linked to found that higher BMIs can still be healthy for Black people, but doctors often diagnose them with obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.”
You can watch the full “Red Table Talk” via the clip above or on Facebook Watch.
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