Priyanka Chopra Says She Cried After Being Told She Wasn’t Sample Size, Speaks Out On Body-Shaming

Priyanka Chopra is speaking out against body-shaming and the cuts it makes on self-esteem. At Friday’s South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival, the actress discussed an incident that prompted tears and frustration at the suffocating beauty standards of the modeling industry.

“I’ve been told many things that are difficult to hear. In my job, the pressure is so intense you can’t really show the chinks in your armor,” Chopra shared with Jennifer Salke, the head of Amazon Studios. “Someone told me yesterday that I wasn’t sample-sized… I was hurt and I discussed it with my family, and I cried to my husband and my team, and I felt really bad about the fact that I’m not sample size, and that’s a problem, apparently, and most of us are not, and sample size is size 2.”

Commenters forget that behind the biggest names are still very human feelings, she said, emphasizing that incidents like these are not a one-time thing, nor do they only happen to her. She revealed that people have said the “nastiest” and “meanest” things about her children and family members, too.

For Chopra, healing means surrounding oneself with loved ones who uplift, support and care for each other. The greater gift, she said, lies within one’s ability to accept and love another for who they are, rather than determining someone’s worth based on what they can bring to the table or by any physical capabilities.