During the December 4 episode of the Unplanned Podcast, former child star Raven-Symoné opened up on why she frequently wore heels while portraying her Disney Channel characters.
In the That’s So Raven teen sitcom series, the 38-year-old’s character, Raven Baxter, frequently wore heels to match her stylish outfits, Newsweek reported. But Raven in the podcast explained that she wore the heels for reasons other than fashion.
“There is an understanding that if you’re short and you wear heels, it thins you out,” Raven said. “‘Cause if you look taller, the proportions work out.”
Raven also revealed that she frequently ended up wearing heels after she and her team had “behind the scenes” talks. She also made mention of her character in The Cheetah Girls, Galleria, being the sole individual wearing heels – though other characters wore sneakers.
“I was the biggest one, and when you look at That’s So Raven, every single outfit had on heels. I would be wearing heels and pajamas sometimes, just because it makes you look thinner,” the 38-year-old explained. “It’s crazy,” her wife Miranda Maday said in reaction.
During their conversion, co-host Abby Howard asked Raven about the communication she wished her team should have had with her about weight and what to wear, Newsweek reported. “I wish they wouldn’t… I actually don’t wish they said anything. I wish they would’ve just not said anything. Period,” she replied.
And though the podcast hosts apologized for how she was treated during those times, Raven said “it was a different time period”, adding that “nobody was my size at that time.”
This isn’t the first time Raven has opened up about her weight and appearance during her younger years. During a 2023 episode of her The Best Podcast Ever with Raven and Miranda, the former Cosby Show star revealed being weight-shamed led her to have two breast reductions and liposuction before she turned 18, Face2Face Africa reported.
Raven at the time had never made that chapter of her teen life public, TODAY.com reported. She said she decided to undergo cosmetic procedures because of her weight.
“I had two breast reductions and lipo(suction) before I turned 18,” the actress said, adding that it was her father who initially urged her to go under the knife. “My dad suggested strongly that I should get my breasts reduced,” she revealed.
“He was like, ‘So you don’t feel bad, is there anything that you want?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, if I get lipo, will people stop calling me fat?’” she added. “So I got a twofer.”
Raven, however, revealed that having plastic surgeries at such an age took a mental and physical toll on her. “It was just a mess, just being that young and the pain of it all, honey,” she said.
The 38-year-old also touched on her recovery journey post-surgery when her wife and the podcast’s co-host asked her about it. “The recovery was a little painful. I still have scars. I still have scar tissue to this day,” she revealed.
The actress said she later opted to have another breast reduction despite her negative experience. “I gained weight after and had to go back for a quick little bit more out because they were still too big,” she said.
But the Cheetah Girls star said the body-shaming comments about her size did not stop despite having multiple plastic surgeries. “I still got reamed through social media because I wasn’t skinny as everybody else, and they still called me fat,” she said.
“It’s like, you get that done and it’s still not what everybody wanted to see.”
