Raven-Symoné on Body Image, Breast Reductions, and Ditching “Performative Hyperfemininity”

29.09.2026, 18:05 allure.com

The inaugural season of Allure Perspectives will explore one of the most controversial and medically researched parts of a woman’s body: breasts. Through expert interviews, personal stories, and historical context, the podcast series, hosted by editor in chief Jessica Cruel, will examine how breasts intersect with beauty, health, identity, sexuality, and culture. In our fourth episode, Cruel talks with actor Raven-Symoné about how growing up in the spotlight affected her body image, learning to separate her identity from her characters, getting two breast reductions at a young age, and so much more. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts for new episodes every week.

Raven-Symoné got her first job (modeling) when she was 16 months old. She started on The Cosby Show when she was four years old; many millennials fell in love with her on That’s So Raven, the first season of which aired when she was 17. Like so many actors who grew up in Hollywood, Raven says the industry shaped her own self-image in many ways—positive, negative, and neutral.

Now, at 40 years old, Raven feels more at home in her body than ever. In the latest episode of Allure’s Perspectives podcast, she opens up to host Jessica Cruel on everything from her earliest memories of feeling body shame to getting a breast reduction at age 15 and finally ditching the hyperfemininity she realized she’d just been performing for most of her life. Get a teaser of their conversation below, then listen to the full interview wherever you listen to podcasts.

Research has shown that, for most kids, puberty is when they first become hyper-aware of their body and all the societally-induced baggage surrounding size. For Raven, that awareness happened much earlier. “At a young age, I had to go into something that was called a fitting,” she says, recalling the days when costume designers would make off-hand comments about her body as they were figuring out her wardrobe for a show. “By the age of nine, I knew that I couldn’t have bagels and cream cheese in the morning because my outfit would show how big my tummy was.”

Raven says she’s glad that the language used in that context is changing, although she believes the experiences she had back then gave her a thicker skin. “I want everyone to be in a healthy brain space … as our society becomes more educated in how you can cause body dysmorphia just by saying, ‘Oh, we have to let [this costume] out today.’”

During the That’s So Raven era (2003-2007), Raven’s red carpet style was every bit a stereotypical young millennial’s dream: hair pulled back with dozens of tiny hair ties or butterfly clips, big silver hoops, asymmetrical skirts, one-shoulder tops, strappy metallic high heels. In retrospect, Raven says she realized that style wasn’t really her. “All of it was a performance,” she says, later noting that, “I learned how to be hyper-feminine because I knew that’s what the industry would buy and want.”

Raven says that changed when she “officially started dating women” (she came out publicly via a tweet in 2013). “I feel more flirtatious and sexual and in tune with my body when I don’t have to perform,” she says. Now, Raven says she’s thrown away all her waist-cinching fajas and has gotten comfortable shopping in the men’s section, where she finds more clothes she likes. “I didn’t know fashion could be fun,” she says. “I didn’t know that fashion didn’t have to hurt.”

However, she does, indeed, still have to perform for her job sometimes—and is overall content to occasionally slip back into hyper-feminine Raven, as long as she’s getting paid. “I just finished filming Cheetah Girls: Next Gen and… be ready. She’s back,” Raven says, referring to the return of girly-girl Galleria. “It’s nothing that I can maintain in my personal life. Only on camera, and for a check.”

Raven has had two breast reductions, the first one at age 15 which she has previously said she felt pressured to do by the adults around her. When asked about whether she regrets the procedure, Raven says, “Yes, because I was too young.”

“I should have done it after puberty,” she continues. “I mean, they still look good, but it was hastily done. I wish I was stronger to say no.” Raven says she never personally had a problem with her larger breasts. “Oh girl, I got into anything! I was first in line,” she recalls, laughing. “Push these little babies up, they get you anywhere. These triple Ds were popping.”

These days, Raven says she’s about 80% comfortable in her body, way up from “a 10% back in the day of quote-unquote ‘Raven-Symoné.” As for her breasts specifically? “My chest and I… [we] have conversations on the regular.”

Looking back, Raven wishes she could give her younger self some encouragement about the way she looks. “You’ll take the brunt of what it looks like to be a thicker person in the industry,” she says. “Other people will come and make it super popular, and you’ll have to just hold the trauma from that time for others. That’s your duty in this time period right now.” The silver lining, adult Raven says to child Raven, is that she’ll come out the other side with extra strength, courage, and wisdom.

And one more thing: “You were right: A toasted sesame bagel with cream cheese and tomato and a little bit of salt is delicious.”

To hear the full interview with Raven-Symoné—including why she values having friends outside of Hollywood, the story behind her coming-out tweet, and why she buys her jeans in South Africa—listen to the episode below. (Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.)

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