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Queen Latifah weight loss Red Table Talk

Source: Huy Doan / Red Table Talk

Queen Latifah recently graced the Red Table Talk with her presence, and she got candid about her weight journey, her career, and the scrutiny that comes with it all.

The Equalizer actress sat down with hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Adrienne Banfield Norris, and Willow Smith to discuss her career and the challenges she has faced as a plus-size woman in Hollywood. Pinkett Smith asked Latifah if she ever felt her size was scrutinized publicly, and Latifah revealed that she indeed has. “I’ve been publicly scrutinized, I think, my whole career! I just came out the door looking different. It’s like, ‘Who is this girl with these African clothes on and no shoes on her feet’?” said Latifah.

Queen Latifah dove further into the weight discussion; revealing a time when she had to come to grips with her self-esteem. “At 18, I looked in the mirror, and I said I have to make a decision. I’m either going to hate myself, or I’m going to love myself.” The Queen also discussed how she works closely with a personal trainer to remain healthy and her plans on changing the way weight is viewed. “I’m on a mission to change the shame attached to weight; to change the stigma attached to it.”

She also revealed she felt pressure to lose weight on the set of Living Single.

“That was one of the major ones. And it happened a couple times. We helped create ‘Living Single.’ So when you look at that picture, you see four different women, four different shades, four different types, and we look like four women who would live in Brooklyn.”  She added, “And that’s who we were supposed to be representing, and we loved being able to do that ’cause we rocked brands that nobody was rocking. We had all kind of guests on our show that have never been on TV before, rappers and actors and just cool people, but the word came down that we needed to lose weight. That’s how it was delivered. ‘The word came down.’”

To watch the full episode, click here.

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