Paolla Oliveira opens up about body criticism: ‘My life turned into a nightmare. It wasn’t about the character, but how many kilos I would lose’

Paolla Oliveira describes facing harsh criticism about her body as a ‘huge crisis’. In an interview with journalist Maria Fortuna on the videocast ‘Conversa vai, conversa vem’, the 43-year-old actress, who has become an advocate for body diversity, recalled the effects of the pressures on her and how she managed to break free from them. She confessed that she used to believe when people said her hips were big and her arms were huge. What was crucial for her to stop believing and not remain silent in the face of body criticisms?

Paolla revealed that her life had turned into a nightmare. The dissatisfaction, the feeling of inadequacy when wearing clothes that made her feel beautiful but did not meet others’ standards. Instead of questions about her character, inquiries focused on how much weight she would lose for a role. The carnival discussions revolved around diets. At one point she was considered beautiful, then suddenly she wasn’t. It became a struggle between being deemed ‘standard’ in one place and ‘fat’ in another. It was such a mess that she decided, ‘I don’t want this anymore’. It was a massive crisis.