During a body-empowerment episode of That’s So Raven, the show’s former co-producer and writer Dana Savel claimed that Raven-Symoné’s body was allegedly edited to appear thinner. Savel revealed these details in the newly released book Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel’s Tween Empire by author Ashley Spencer.
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According to Page Six, Savel explained that the show’s producers were allegedly uncomfortable with the then-18-year-old actress’s weight. They handled the situation poorly behind the scenes but never directly addressed it with Raven-Symoné. The edits reportedly happened during the Season 2 episode “That’s So Raven,” which focused on body positivity. In the episode, Raven Baxter is rejected from a fashion show because she is not thin enough. The storyline follows her character trying different diets until she accepts her body the way it is and participates in the fashion show.
The former head of programming at Disney Channel, Adam Bonnett, confessed that visual effects were sometimes used to enhance Raven-Symoné’s appearance in certain episodes. He specifically mentioned scenes where her character was at a dance. Raven-Symoné, who was 38, starred in the series for four seasons from 2003 to 2007 and faced significant scrutiny regarding her weight. She mentioned undergoing a breast reduction and liposuction when she was 18.
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“I had two breast reductions and lipo before I turned 18. There was paperwork involved,” My dad suggested strongly that I should get my breasts reduced. “He was like, ‘So you don’t feel bad, is there anything that you want?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, if I get lipo, will people stop calling me fat?’ So I got a twofer. It was just a mess, just being that young and the pain of it all.”
Raven nor Disney channel didn’t release a statement regarding the book and its statements.
