Vanessa Simmons has been very outspoken about how she’s struggled with body positivity.
Working in the entertainment industry can be unforgiving, and she’s talked about the highs and lows that she’s had on her journey to becoming body-confident.
But some of the things that she has admitted to doing have shocked her fans.
And social media users are divided about whether they should feel sorry for her or not.
Why Vanessa Simmons Wanted To Get In Shape
In an interview with BrownStyle Magazine, Vanessa spoke about how her path to getting in shape and taking care of herself really began.
2020 was a big year for her.
She said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, when everything felt so uncertain and being healthy was vital, she felt called to arm herself, her friends, and her family, with knowledge and steps to maintain their health.
It was that year that she started a fitness challenge with The Bachelorette star, Eric Bigger, which she promoted on her Instagram.
She said that her weight gain had made her feel uncomfortable, so she was trying to make a change.
Vanessa Simmons Admits To Getting Liposuction
But a couple of years later, Vanessa revealed that doing exercise still wasn’t enough to help shed the pounds, and she reportedly felt like she had to take more drastic measures.
In 2022, she admitted to The Shade Room that she’d gotten micro-laser liposuction.
She explained that the reason was because she felt like her body had changed a ton after her daughter was born in 2014.
Vanessa shared that it looked like everyone else seemed to have the same online experience with the “snap-back” body.
But hers was just not coming, even after eight or nine years.
She claimed that she tried a bunch of non-invasive things like working out and dieting.
So, she wanted to do something different.
Vanessa Shares Her Experience With Liposuction
She said: “I wanted to stop playing small for myself and do something for myself without the fear of what other people would think.”
Vanessa reportedly got the liposuction done on her stomach and waist area, and she said that it ended up being a really good experience.
She later shared an Instagram post promoting the liposuction company that she used, and claimed that it was the highlight of 2022 for her.
Vanessa wrote that she struggled with stubborn fat in her stomach and waist area that no matter what she did would not budge.
In just one visit with the lipo company, all of that supposedly changed.
She confessed to The Shade Room that before she got the procedure, she was nervous about what other people would say.
She revealed that it was something she’d definitely struggled with just growing up being on TV, especially during the emergence of social media where she really got to see people’s opinions live, in color, and in her face.
It was hard.
XONecole reported that over the last few years, Vanessa was also working on her new business.
In 2023, she started U4IA.
The company focuses on beauty and wellness tips, as well as ways to improve mental health.
Social Media Users Slam Vanessa Simmons’ Body
But despite everything she’s done to get into shape and take care of herself, Vanessa is reportedly still unable to get away from harsh online criticisms and judgments about her body.
Vanessa attended Elton John’s 2024 AIDS Foundation event in a tight dress that was described as showing off her curves, per the Atlanta Black Star.
Though some social media users were quick to compliment the way she looked, others had mixed reactions.
When two photos of Vanessa wearing the dress were reposted side by side on Twitter, people began making comparisons between them, claiming that she looked slimmer in one of them.
One person wrote that the photo where it looked like she had a thinner waistline was a photoshop failure.
Somebody else said: “She looks nice but she’s soooo big.”
A third commentator came to Vanessa’s defense to say that the photo wasn’t photoshopped, it was more about the way she was posing.
They said that angles really did matter, and then alleged that she looked ‘thicker’ in the first photo because of how she was standing.
Vanessa Simmons Speaks Out About Weight Issues And Body Shaming
According to the Atlanta Black Star article, Vanessa also spoke about her issues with her weight when she was on the reality show Growing Up Hip Hop.
She reportedly said that she felt insecure about her fuller face.
She also explained that she didn’t cope well with body shaming comments online, like repeatedly being asked if she was pregnant.
Vanessa’s latest step toward promoting self-care is the column that she writes for BrownStyle Magazine.
In her first submission, she spoke about her weight again, and how her swimsuit body wasn’t ready in time for the summer of 2024.
She blamed it on her high cortisol levels.
Vanessa also talked about how earlier in the year, she’d been contacted by a director who wanted her to be in one of his movies.
But he allegedly told her that in order to get the role, she’d need to lose about ten to fifteen pounds.
She claimed that she saw it as a challenge, and 30 days later, she hit her goal of losing ten pounds.
Vanessa said: “After all of that, I still didn’t get the part – gotta love Hollywood.”
Online Users Blast Vanessa Simmons
Once again, the internet was in two minds about what she’d written.
A Lipstick Alley user wrote that if she didn’t want comments on her appearance or requests to change something about it, then she shouldn’t have gone into a career which prioritized that.
Someone else agreed by saying that Vanessa and her sister Angela could’ve been anything they wanted to be, but they chose to go into an industry that was superficial.
Another unsympathetic user alleged that celebrities would fake complain to seem relatable and end up sounding so privileged.
In one Growing Up Hip Hop episode, Vanessa also admitted that she didn’t feel confident enough when she was standing next to her younger sister, who she referred to as Miss Fitness.
She added that she felt very self-conscious.
Vanessa Simmons’ Sister Angela Speaks Out About Appearance Struggles
But according to the Atlanta Black Star, Angela has also been open about her struggles with her appearance.
In an Instagram live, she said that when she was 10, she had confidence issues when it came to her body and how she looked.
During an interview on the Breakfast Club, she explained that she didn’t embrace her curves because she was so young.
But as she got older, she said that she learned the importance of fitness and body positivity.
She created a program called ‘Built Not Bought’, to help women who were affected by low self-esteem like she used to be.
On her Instagram, she’d share how important it was to love herself as she was, and how the biggest lesson she’d learned was to be content with who she was.
Simmons’ Family Health Journey
The sisters aren’t the only ones in their famous family to learn the importance of prioritizing their health.
Their dad, Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons, and his wife Justine realized that they needed to take better care of themselves after they received some worrying results from their medical check-up.
But it wasn’t Vanessa or Angela who put them on the path to a healthier lifestyle.
A report by BET revealed that it was their younger brother, Diggy Simmons, who helped them when it came to sticking to a nutritional diet.
Rev Run and Justine told the outlet that he was like the health police in the house.
He was always talking to them about having more fruit and vegetables at home.
They gushed that he was the one who introduced them to wholegrain foods.
Justine explained that when it came to her food, she wanted it to be tasty as well as healthy, so she was happy that Diggy could suggest those types of things.
Andscape later reported that the reverend and his wife even went on to promote healthy living to young students.
They visited different schools to discuss healthy eating habits, diabetes, and its risk factors.
Both of their fathers suffered from the illness, which meant that they were both at risk as well.
Justin said: “Now we know and have the knowledge, so we’re trying to spread it.”
