JANE FONDA: “I Never Felt Pretty Or Confident”.
Jane Fonda has opened up about her unhappy time in her teens, including when she suffered with self-esteem issues and eating disorders.
The Oscar-winning actress and fitness video star recalls her difficult upbringing after her mother took her own life before Fonda, now 76, became a teenager. This was made even more difficult with a distant and difficult father – Henry Fonda.
She also claims her stepmother would insinuate she was overweight which led to her developing having self-esteem issues and developing bulimia.
Speaking to People magazine, she said:
“I never felt pretty or confident. My dad wouldn’t tell me [I looked fat] directly; he would have his wife tell me that my bathing suit was too small or my belt was too tight or my skirt was too short. I became bulimic and anorexic, the whole thing.”
Fonda, who has now penned a self-help book for youngsters called Being a Teen, admits she didn’t learn how to love herself or laugh about herself until much later in life.
She adds:
“God, I was a serious child. It took [ex-husband] Ted Turner to teach me how to have a sense of humour.”
When asked if she could say one thing to her parents, she replied:
“I would say, ‘I need you to love me’. But I’ve talked to a [medium] who has communicated with my mother, and she’s so proud of me. My dad’s always with me, I know they’re both proud.”
