Popular Nollywood actress and fashion designer, Didi Ekanem, known for her voluptuous body, has revealed that she once battled insecurity because of her physique.
Speaking with Saturday Beats, the actress also said she had been judged quite “harshly” by some people who thought she had a sugar daddy because of her looks.
She explained, “Some people usually judge me because of my body. Some people assume that I must be a ‘runs girl’ or that I have a sugar daddy sponsoring me. Some people just feel that I am a bad girl and I think it’s a general perception once some people see curvy and voluptuous ladies.
It’s painful to me because I am not that type of lady at all. I would not even date a married man for anything. I’m very blessed to have a supportive father and family and I always take them into consideration in all my dealings. Even though my family is not with me in Lagos, there is no room for misbehaviour.
“Sometimes, my body attracts both positive and negative attention. In my early years, I was not comfortable with it and I didn’t like my body. The attention was just too negative to handle but, over the years it got better and it’s now more positive than negative. I don’t like to attribute anything to my body. I’ve never paid attention to what my body can give me. I’ve only paid attention to my brain. I don’t worship my body, therefore I don’t pay attention to what it can do for me. For me, my brain works for me; my body has not done anything for me. Honestly, even if I was not voluptuous, I’d still be okay. This is how my life was supposed to be. Women who attribute their success or achievements to their bodies use them in a negative way.
“In secondary school, I didn’t like my body because being curvy was not in vogue. All my classmates were slim and tall. I felt I was the only one that was chubby. People used to make side comments about me or sing hurtful songs, which disturbed me a lot. In fact, I used to wake up every morning, hit my buttocks on the wall because I wanted it to go down so badly. I used to wear girdles and tights a lot just because I wanted to be like my classmates. I was just very insecure.
“But after secondary school, I developed confidence, grew a thick skin and decided that I was going to embrace my body. Since then, I’ve been rocking my shape and enjoying myself. Thankfully, we have also got to the era where every woman wants to be curvy. I now feel blessed to have a curvy shape. It’s hereditary because my mother used to have a massive rump. My siblings and some of my aunts and cousins also have.”
Reacting to some of the rude comments that greeted her because she bought a new car, the actress also said, “Some people have said a man bought the car for me. But it’s a lie; the car is a result of my hard work. I have been saving since 2018 and it’s a big deal for me because I did not sleep with anyone to buy the car. The money was got from the proceeds of my business and investments. People made a lot of snide comments about the cost of the car but I’m not bothered.”
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