Brandy Addresses Her Teen Eating Disorder, Affirms The Misery Of Being A Child Star

You don’t need to catch a glimpse of Toddlers & Tiaras to know that the seedy entertainment industry is no place any loving parent would want their child. Aside from the rampant accepted pedophilia, sexualization, and long work hours, children are generally required to shoulder an obscene amount of stress. The stress that comes with being on tour, on location, and having a billion dollar studio put their money behind you — and expect big return. Such was the case for Brandy who, when faced with pressures to be successful, developed an eating disorder.

The now 33-year-old singer and mother addresses her disordered eating on her new “Behind The Music,” affirming that being thin was paramount to feeling loved. Diet pills and vomiting soon ensued:

“I started not taking care of myself — not eating properly, not eating at all, diet pills, regurgitating, and all of these things that girls do.”

Brandy also sought to puncture that cultural envy for teens and children in the entertainment world, often praised for their talent, successes, and of course profit:

“People don’t understand that being the hottest star or making the most money does not mean anything,” she explains. “I’m here to tell you I was making so much money — I was omnipresent — and I was the unhappiest teenager probably in the world.”

“Unhappiest teenager in the world” is probably not what many thought as Brandy went on to accrue film and television roles, but there it is. Another adolescence damaged by a successful career.

(photo: Adriana M. Barraza / WENN.com)