Raven-Symoné was the topic of some serious body shaming during her run on That’s So Raven… the extent of which she actually never knew while the show was on the air!
The iconic TV star was, of course, the eponymous lead in the Disney Channel sitcom That’s So Raven beginning in 2003. But while she wowed audiences onscreen for four seasons, behind the scenes producers were freaking out about her appearance! They were so obsessed with her size, they wanted to slim her body down in post-production. Yes, really! So claims a bombshell new book, at least!
Related: Raven Symoné Puts Demi Lovato On Blast!
Author Ashley Spencer just released her book Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel’s Tween Empire. In it, she makes some startling claims about how producers on That’s So Raven addressed the then-18-year-old star’s fluctuating weight as new episodes would air. Spencer even has one insider on the record — Dana Savel, who produced and wrote for the show — with this unsettling teaser regarding Raven’s weight:
“Disney Channel was going crazy about it, and they handled it in really bad ways. But it was never to her face.”
That’s the key part — “never to her face”. Rather than address it to her personally (which would have also been awkward but at least put it on front street), producers instead turned to both body doubles and CGI to slim her body down in post-production! Seriously!!
According to multiple sources in the book, during a Season 2 episode called That’s So Not Raven, producers hired an unnamed body double to stand in for Raven during a mid-episode runway show specifically because the other actress had a thinner frame. That new TV trivia is not only troubling but darkly ironic, too — because that episode grappled with crash diets and eating disorders!
WTF!
Then, to make matters even worse, Spencer wrote that “multiple people involved in the episode” told her that a network executive personally went to the show’s visual effects team with a request to make Raven appear thinner in post-production manipulation of the show’s final scenes! Oh, and this all allegedly came about during scenes in which the stars discuss body positivity! That is WILD!!!
This is part of the ep in question, BTW (below):
Producer Michael Feldman lamented the situation as he commented to Spencer about the CGI allegations:
“It was shameful. I don’t know how they could look at themselves and do that. The very thing that she wanted to do a story about was literally done to her. It’s still a shocking thing to me that they were that tone-deaf.”
Seriously…
As for Disney Channel’s response, their former head of original programming Adam Bonnett told Spencer in the book that the decision was “not something I would have asked for” at the time. However, he did recall that the same post-production CGI editing technique was used in later episodes for other purposes. One of those times was in a scene during a school dance later in the show’s run, as Bonnett explained:
“There was some stuff done to make Raven[‘s clothing] look more flattering in certain scenes.”
Hmmm… So they do remember the CGI move being made — just not in the episode or for the reason that the author’s sources are revealing?! That’s a little sus, if you ask us. Just saying!!!
Thoughts, y’all? Share ’em (below)…
If you’re struggling with an eating disorder, there is help available. Consider visiting https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/ or call their hotline at (800)-931-2237 for resources.
:quality(85):upscale()/2024/11/13/919/n/1922564/cc0839716735141c6dab05.65024797_.jpg "Best Puffer Coats and Jackets For Women")
