Actress Samira Wiley revealed that she was body-shamed during a photoshoot while she was on set dressed in an outfit that showed her midriff.
The actress, who is spreading body positivity and gratitude, said she walked out on set wearing a slightly revealing shirt when someone told her, "Oh, don't worry. We can fix that in post," People reports.
She shared that the incident "really affected" her, but said the comment didn't place her in a "horrible mood." She acknowledged the impact body shaming has on "young girls."
Wiley, known for her role in Orange Is the new Black, was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 12 years old. She said that she sought help, and at the time weighed less than 100 pounds.
"I was in denial and I didn't really take care of myself," Wiley said, according to People. "And then I just got the idea that I now only got one [body]. and I feel like it's done so much for me, and I want to be able to take care of it as well."
"I finally took the leap of faith to go see a doctor. And that really changed my life. I was able to really come to terms with the damage that I was doing to my body. … I decided to make a change then. Sometimes I go back to the doctor and I'll see the picture that they took the first day that I walked in there, versus how I look now. It just looks like a completely different person," she continued.
Now, Wiley is seeking to spread body positivity through her partnership with the multivitamin brand One A Day's Gratitude Project. The actress will also be producing a documentary on body gratitude, which she said was an opportunity to ask "what does it look like to be grateful, not just [by] using your words."
"It seemed to be really in line with the lessons that I feel I've learned throughout my life, and to be able to learn from all the people that we're going to be featuring in the documentary as well. … I'm just all about learning about that and about spreading this idea to anyone that it can touch," she added.
She's also hoping to set an example for her 10-month-old daughter.
"I think about her being able to see something like that one day and her knowing that I was involved in it, and her knowing that it's something that is important to me. It's also a different narrative than the one that may be abound when she's conscious to that kind of thing," she said.
In a post shared to Instagram, Wiley encouraged her followers to share how they "practice gratitude by taking care of your body."
According to a release by One A Day, adults expressed gratitude for their significant other and children 64% and 56%, respectively. However, only 34% shared that they expressed gratitude for themselves daily.
"Studies show the important role gratitude plays in enriching overall quality of life, revealing feelings of gratitude were associated with significantly lower average heart rate and blood pressure, better sleep quality and lower stress," Lisa Perez, general manager and VP of marketing, nutritionals at Bayer, said.
