Why JoJo Felt Insecure About Her Body While Filming Aquamarine
Originally appeared on E! Online
Joanna "JoJo" Levesque didn't always feel comfortable in her shell.
The "Too Little Too Late" singer shared that she often struggled with her body image while filming the 2006 movie Aquamarine alongside costars Emma Roberts and Sara Paxton.
As JoJo explained during a Sept. 19 appearance on The Viall Files podcast, "I was not as skinny as the other girls."
"I felt really like,” she paused before using her arms to mime having a larger body, “next to them.”
But JoJo doesn't think she was alone in that insecurity. In fact, she believes the tendency to compare your body to others is instilled in women early on.
"From a young age, I think, we're all kind of aware, or we're measuring ourselves up next to other girls," the 33-year-old said, "and I was no different.”
But filming Aquamarine wasn't all bad. JoJo—who had never acted in a movie before—said she "learned a lot" playing her tomboy character, Hailey Rogers, and working on set in "awesome" Australia.
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Plus, the film has gone on to become a cult classic for many, which has been, as the "Leave (Get Out)" singer put it, a "funny" surprise.
“I hope that that word isn't offensive," JoJo continued, "I don't mean it like that, but it's just so funny because it's just such a silly movie.”
Referring to the mermaid flick as a "moment," she added, ”It's nice that women my age who have daughters, it's something that they'll play for their daughters."
However, JoJo has recently reflected on the multiple struggles she faced throughout her time as a child star. In fact, the singer details her struggle with addictions to alcohol and prescription drugs in her new memoir, Over the Influence.
For JoJo, she said both of her parents battled similar issues when she was growing up, because addiction runs in her family.
"For a while, I was super self-righteous and thought I'd never be like my parents," she told People in an interview published Sept. 17. "I was like, 'No, because I'm the strongest. I'm wicked strong.'"
Ultimately, JoJo—who said she is not sober today, per the outlet—made the decision to attend AA meetings, realizing, "'Oh, what I'm doing is no better or worse. I'm my parents' child, and I need to be awake to what's happening within myself.'"
Read more about her battle with substance use here.
For free and confidential help for those facing mental and/or substance use disorders, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) national helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
