Barbie Ferreira reflects on how her early modeling career unexpectedly catapulted her into the spotlight as a body-positivity advocate.
In a new interview with Bustle, the actress shared that the conversation about activism began long before she fully understood what the term meant.
“At the time, I talked a lot about body positivity because I had to,” Ferreira began.
She explained that public reaction to her work often established her as an activist, even when she was just finding her feet.
“When I was a kid, people would ask me about my activism. I didn’t even know what activism meant. I wore a bikini to a campaign, everyone went crazy and suddenly I became an activist.”
Looking back, Ferreira admitted that she sided with the label at the time.
“I’m 17 and thinking, ‘Sure, I’ll be an activist if that’s what you want.’ But I don’t think that’s true activism.”
Instead, she expressed that she now sees activism as a much more intentional thing to do.
He concluded, “Real activism is devoting your life to a cause. I believe people should be reflected in the media as they are. My career continues to do that.”
