Raven Symoné Reveals Dark Secrets About Her Disney Days

On the Unplanned Podcast, Raven Symoné shared the true reason why she wore high heels in her Disney roles.

During her time on That’s So Raven, the actress’s character was often seen wearing heels, which many fans thought was because she was an aspiring fashion designer. “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,” Symoné revealed.

The Disney alum went into further detail explaining the logic behind that decision, explaining, “There is an understanding that if you’re short and you wear heels, it thins you out.”

@unplanned_podcast Childhood fame, starting a family, and failed proposal with @ravensymone & @miranda v. pm | Out NOW! #unplannedpodcast #unplannedpodcast @matt_and_abby ♬ original sound – The Unplanned Podcast

It’s safe to say that fans were shocked to hear this news.

She wished no one spoke about her weight at the time. “It was a different time period. Nobody was my size at that time,” the actress expressed.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the only thing the star had to experience during her Disney days. On The Bright Side Podcast, it was revealed that there were conversations about her body being edited from the start of the show.

The actress states, “So, ‘That’s So Raven’ was during a time when weight was not celebrated like it is now. There’s this really interesting thing you can do with film, when you’re in television, and you can stretch the film. So if you’re wide and you stretch it long ways, you look skinnier. And, there were talks about that.”

The claims about the former Disney star’s body being altered were brought in in Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel’s Tween Empire, a book that discusses the stories of the network’s biggest stars.

@amspen Raven-Symoné discusses the DISNEY HIGH book reporting about That’s So Raven editing her body and Disney Channel’s treatment. #disneyhigh #booktok #disneychannel #thatssoraven #2000s #fyp ♬ In The Pictures – Raven-Symoné

In the book, Dava Savel, co-producer and writer for That’s So Raven, disclosed the fact that there were talks of Symoné’s weight. Adam Bonnett, a former head of Disney Channel Original programming, mentioned, “There was some stuff done to make Raven look more flattering in certain scenes.” While it is something he did not condone personally, this technique was also used in the post-production of other episodes of the series.

When the actress was asked about her feelings regarding her body being altered, she expressed, “In hindsight, I was told I was fat all the time. I’m used to that.”

Even though she wore heels and had her body altered, it still wasn’t enough. The Disney darling told fans on her Tea Time with Raven & Miranda podcast that she got a breath reduction when she was 15 years-old. The former Disney star states, “I went from a triple D all the way down to a B. Someone said I needed to do it in order to get a show.” Sadly, the star did this under the suggestion of adults in her life, especially her father.

The actress decided to also get liposuction during this time so that people would stop talking about her weight. “I was like, ‘Yeah, if I get lipo, will people stop calling me fat?’ And so, I got a twofer,’ ” the star expressed.

Doing surgery while she was a minor came with complications later in her life. The actress suffered a seizure after waking up because of the anesthesia. The star still has scars on her breasts. “I have scars. I still have scar tissue to this day. And I gained weight after and had to, like, go back for a quick little, like, a little bit more out ‘cause [my breasts] were still too big for others’ feelings,” the actress revealed.

Fortunately, times have changed since the star’s Disney days. When reflecting on the body positivity movement, Symoné expressed, “There’s this beautiful embracing of the body now that I didn’t get as a young girl.”

You can watch Symoné’s episode of the Unplanned Podcast below.