In BET’s new reality series, College Hill: Celebrity Edition, India Love Westbrook spoke with life coach Dr. Melanie Lawson about being sexually abused as a young child
View this post on Instagram
According to the Jasmin Brand, Westbrook, 26, expressed her mental health journey during her conversation with Dr. Lawson, revealing that a family member “touched” her when she was “10 or so.”
“Everything takes a really hard toll on me,” Westbrook said. “I’m my biggest critic. I feel like I found my voice….but it’s hard for me to use it because of like trauma when I was younger, probably when I was ten or so, around that age.”
— petty betty (@onceuponAB) August 23, 2022
“Something happened to me with a family member to where like, I felt like I couldn’t use my voice and say what I wanted to say,” she tearfully said.
In the show’s confessional, Westbrook openly shared how she felt she was unheard by her family and that her sexual assaults were also unaddressed.
“I used to get touched by someone in my family when I was younger, and it felt like it was swept under the rug….It definitely scarred me mentally for a long time, probably still to this day,” Westbrook said.
Westbrook further revealed that the sexual abuse left her voiceless, and she now finds it difficult to speak up in current situations. During the emotional conversation, Dr. Lawson affirmed that Westbrook’s career and influence are a testament to her power.
View this post on Instagram
Westbrook started her career on Tumblr, gaining millions of followers, all loving her style, sneaker collection and her public teenage romance at the time. Currently, Westbrook has over 5 million followers supporting her on Instagram.
“I want you to be here with me while I say this because I’m getting emotional thinking about it. You were silenced then, look at the influencer you are,” Dr. Lawson expressed with love.
If you or anyone is being sexually abused, RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, can be reached via telephone hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673). RAINN created and operated the National Sexual Assault Hotline in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country.
