Priyanka Chopra Offers Advice for Gawky, Awkward Teens Like She Once Was
(Photo: Lou Rocco/ABC via Getty Images)
Some might assume that Bollywood actress and star of the ABC television series Quantico wouldn’t know much about being teased or shamed. If so, they assume incorrectly. The Indian actress appeared on The View recently and detailed her experiences with exactly that as a youth.
Chopra’s career has blossomed of late with the Quantico series, upcoming role in the 2017 Baywatch film, landing a cover on Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People issue, and more. Yet, she can clearly recall when she was a young girl living in the United States.
“You had low self esteem as a kid?” returning View guest co-host Meredith Vieira asked the actress.
“Your adolescent years are difficult for everyone,” she replied. “I was a gawky teenager. I was gawky, I was skinny. I had crazy long, frizzy hair I didn’t know how to control. And people made me feel awkward because I didn’t look like anyone else.”
When asked what she did to overcome all of that and become the woman she is today, Chopra pointed out, “You work on yourself … I figured out what looks best on my face, how to dress, how to speak, and how to be the best version of me and not try to be like someone else.” She credits her mother, her “matriarch figure,” for helping her through those years.
Chopra went on to become Miss India and Miss World, and through her acting career, she’s appeared in over 50 films in India and runs her own production company. Success is clearly no stranger to her.
On the topic of beauty pageants and body shaming, Chopra commiserated and observed, “Not just for people in the business, but girls in general have to look a certain way to be able to be accepted.” She goes on to give advice for all: “Figure out what your strengths are, put them in a box, and just focus on those… Focus on what’s good for you.”
