Candace Cameron Bure Reflects on Weight Pressure During ‘Full House’

Candace Cameron Bure is opening up about the weight pressures she faced during her time on the hit series Full House. Despite being a family show, Full House often tackled real-life issues, one of which was the pressures teenagers face to look good. Candace, who played DJ Tanner, experienced these pressures firsthand and is now sharing the challenges she faced while filming and living through them.

Full House, which aired for eight seasons, was one of the most popular and successful family series on television. It covered a range of topics from death and remarriage to alcoholism. However, one issue that had a direct impact on Candace Cameron Bure was weight. She discussed this during an episode of Pod Meets World on Monday, August 12th. Candace shared:

“I was always the chubby-cheeked girl, and a lot of people loved that I was. And I can look back and go, like, ‘I was just a normal, average girl.’ And you meet people and they’re always like, ‘You’re so much thinner in person.’“

One episode in particular addressed her weight when DJ Tanner was preparing for a pool party. Wanting to look spectacular, DJ resorted to extreme measures to lose weight, such as working out excessively and eating only ice pops—a crash diet. The situation deteriorated to the point where DJ passed out, forcing her to confront the unhealthy practices she was engaging in.

Candace was informed about this Full House episode in advance. The show’s producers consulted with her and her family:

“They actually talked to my mom and dad and they talked to me and said, ‘Would you feel comfortable if we wrote an episode like this?’ And I was like, ’Yeah, sure.’ But when you’re in it and doing it, it feels a little awkward.”

Pod Meets World, hosted by some cast members of Boy Meets World, including Danielle Fishel who played Topanga Lawrence, also discussed similar weight issues. Danielle shared her own experience about being the focal point of a weight-related episode. She mentioned:

“They called me into the office to tell me they were going to [do it]. It wasn’t really like they asked. They just kind of said, ‘We just want you to know…obviously you guys have gained a little bit of weight. So we’re going to write an episode about it.‘“

Candace expressed sympathy for Danielle, noting that at least she had been asked beforehand. Candace herself had lost weight between seasons and the producers decided to highlight this change:

“I had lost, like, 20 lbs. from the end of one season to another. I came in losing 20 lbs., but they thought it was so great and they were like, ‘Oh, on the opening titles, why don’t we have you on an exercise bike, like just to promote that?’ And looking back, I don’t think that was bad. I mean, I really put a lot of hard work and effort into losing 20 lbs.”

Reflecting on her experiences, Candace wishes she could tell her teenage self not to listen to others and just hug herself. She acknowledges that her insecurities would have existed regardless of whether she was on television. Being in the spotlight only exacerbated these feelings. Today, she has a better understanding of the situation and recognizes that she was not alone in feeling this way.

Do Candace and Danielle’s experiences change your perspective on those episodes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: People