How Gina Rodriguez battles unrealistic beauty standards using a self-love mantra

Gina Rodriguez is sharing her thoughts on body image, revealing that she struggled with mental health as she felt the pressure of Hollywood’s unrealistic beauty standards early in her career.

The 37-year-old actress had an open conversation with Rachel Bilson and Olivia Allen on the podcast Broad Ideas, explaining that she suffers from an autoimmune condition that directly affects the thyroid.

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Gina revealed to her fellow actresses that she has Hashimoto’s disease, which affects her metabolism. “I got an actor’s curse because it directly affects your metabolism, you know, you’re not producing the hormone that your body needs.”

She continued, “So you, at times, it can feel like you have a loss of communication with this thing, that spacesuit that you’re in, and you’re just like, ‘Why don’t I have a grasp on shifting what this physical being is?’”

However the star says she has been able to change her outlook on beauty standards, appreciating her body with an appreciative mantra. “I started, four or five years ago, in the shower, as I bathe being like, I love you,” she repeats to herself, “‘I love you, elbow. I love you, tetas. I love you, neck.’ I just started touching my body in an appreciative manner.”

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The actress went on to say that her experience on set has been frustrating at times, detailing a story from her time working in the show Jane the Virgin. “So I have this birthmark on my thigh. It’s kind of shaped like a heart,” Gina started.

“To others, it may seem like an imperfection, right? And on Jane, it would always be like, ‘Hey, can we get makeup to get that thing on her leg?’ I would always be like, ‘No! It’s my birthmark! No, it’s a birthmark! No, it’s fine! You could just leave it, it’s fine, it’s a birthmark.’ Yeah, but I would make a joke. I’m like, ‘I’m sure somebody’s going to say something about the birthmark. Gotta cover the birthmark,” she concluded.