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Vanessa recently discussed her weight issues with the ladies of The Talk. During the interview, she spoke about how she was asked to come and read for the part, yet received unwanted feedback she wasn’t accustomed to as a singer.

“I was asked to come in to meet for ‘Eraser’ with Arnold Schwarzenegger. As a singer, it’s a matter of how well you sing, not if I can fit into the outfit. So, I wasn’t used to being judged by how skinny I was. I remember being asked by the producer, ‘Well, we’d like you to lose some weight.’”

Vanessa admitted that she initially considered getting liposuction, but instead went on a crazy diet and exercise plan that included Pilates and lots of cardio, telling the hosts, “I was really skinny.” Although she says she’s never again been as thin as she was at the time she filmed Eraser, she uses that experience to discuss body image issues with her children:

“Growing up in the black community, being curvy is celebrated. I’ve got 4 kids, my youngest is 19 and she’s on her phone all the time looking at stuff that’s filtered and trying to achieve something that’s almost unachievable, because everyone’s either doctored themselves, or starving themselves.”

Check out the rest of Vanessa’s interview below…