Candace Cameron Bure recently opened up about the weight pressures she faced when filming for the sitcom “Full House.”
“I was always the chubby-cheeked girl and a lot of people loved that I was,” Bure said. “And I can look back and go like, ‘I was just a normal, average girl.’ And yet you meet people, and they’re always like, ‘You’re so much thinner in person.’”
“Of course, as a teenager, you feel that insecurity whether you’re on television or not. It gets magnified when you are, so those ages were a little bit more awkward for me,” she added. “I want to hug 15-year-old Candace and go ‘It’s okay, don’t listen to anyone.’”
After Bure lost 20 pounds between two of the show’s seasons, she recalled how “Full House” suggested promoting her achievement.
“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,’” she said. “Looking back, I don’t think that was bad. I mean, I really put a lot of hard work and effort into losing 20 pounds.”
Bure remembers feeling “a little awkward” while filming that episode.
Growing Pains
Earlier in the episode, the New York Times best-selling author also shared how strange it was to experience puberty on screen as viewers watched her appearance change in real-time during the show’s airing.“It is weird growing up in front of a camera going through puberty on national television,” she said.
Bure also shared the limitations placed on her regarding her appearance on set as an adolescent longing to make her own decisions.
“I had cut my hair, I always had long hair, and then I cut a bob that was just above shoulder length,” she said. “But I purposely didn’t tell the producers and I did it on a random weekend while we were in the middle of the season.”
“So when I showed up that Monday at work, I got reprimanded,” she continued. “And they were kind about it, but they took me over and said, ‘You absolutely can’t do this. You should have talked to us first.’”
The actress believed that she would have been prohibited from cutting her hair if she asked permission, noting the amount of control the show had over her appearance.
Faith and Fitness
Spending decades in front of the screen, Bure is no stranger to the unattainable beauty standards and expectations placed on women. In a February episode of “Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey,” the actress shared the body image struggles she faces today.“Let’s just talk about the Ozempic craze right now ... I’m like, ‘Should I go on Ozempic?’” Bure asked, immediately stating that she wouldn’t. “But these are the things that go through my mind because the standard is so high, and I am in front of the camera all day.”
“The pressure is so ingrained, a lot of the pressure just comes from myself because I’ve grown up in it, and I don’t always know how to not feel that pressure,” she added.
However, the “Unsung Hero” star believes her Christian faith and overall mindset highly contribute to her well-being.
“I talk to God a lot; I have an ongoing dialogue with God,” she said. “And so my prayer life is pretty strong, my conversations with Him are very strong,” she said.
“Because really, it’s a battle of the mind—a lot of disordered eating is—and so if I pull the Holy Spirit into my mind, and I’m constantly praying and asking God to renew my mind, it helps,” she added.
