Samira Wiley wants to stop body shame and encourage women gratitude for their bodies.
The actor, who is featured in “The Handmaid’s Tale”, on Hulu, is currently co-producing a documentary short with One A Day’s Gratitude Project. It shares stories about people who are passionately about body gratitude. She recently spoke with People about her relationship to her body.
The 34-year old spoke out about a time when she was body shamed while participating in a photo shoot.
She recalled, “I vividly remember this one because (I) feel like my body is healthy and the outfits that they gave me, showed a little bit of my midriff.” It was okay, honestly. Someone on the set said, “Oh, don’t worry. “We can fix it in post.
The “Orange Is The New Black” star was in good health at the time and didn’t let that stop her from living her life. She did wonder how other girls and women who are still on the path to self acceptance would feel after the event.
She told the magazine that she couldn’t imagine what it was like for young girls to just look at magazines and believe this is reality.
Wiley, who had a baby girl named George with Lauren Morelli last April, feels passionately about her documentary project as she wants to “lead from example” for her daughter.
She said, “I think about her being capable of seeing something like (the documentary), and her knowing I was involved in it. And her knowing that it is something that is important for me.”
The actor opened up about how her 12th-year diabetes diagnosis was only the beginning of her journey to body gratitude.
Wiley stated that she was “in denial” and didn’t take proper care of herself. She also said that she weighed only 100 lbs. When she was diagnosed. “And then, I just realized that I only have one body. It’s been so good for me and I want it to continue to help me.
