Lisa Ann Walter is reflecting on her body image in the early days of her career.
The Abbott Elementary star, 61, recalled dealing with the mental anguish that came with thinking she didn’t fit a certain mold in Hollywood in a post via X on Tuesday, August 6.
“And after all the unnecessary self-loathing, I learned years later that in the industry I was known as… ‘The Body,’” Walter captioned a series of three black-and-white photos, in which she wore a fitted black dress that featured a high slit, showing off her toned legs and gorgeous curves.
Fans of the actress were quick to offer words of support, like one social media user who wrote, “How in the world did you not know?! That’s a fab figure!!!”
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Another added, “Don’t you just want to go back in time and fight EVERYONE who made us feel bad?” to which Walter replied, “Yes.”
This isn’t the first time Walter – who penned the 2011 collection of body image-centered essays, The Best Thing About My Ass Is That It’s Behind Me – has spoken out about being made to feel like she didn’t fit the industry’s perception of what an actress should look like.
After a fan tweeted a series of both older and newer photos and called Walter a “baddie” via X in 2022, the Parent Trap actress thanked the social media user and replied in a follow-up tweet.
“Omg – I’m blown away,” she wrote. “Also, why was Hollywood making me feel like I was fat? Lol #SizeZeroIsStupid.”
As of present, Walter appears to have a positive outlook on her body image, and focuses on the things that bring her joy – including hosting dinner parties for her loved ones and coworkers, as well as taking dance lessons and going to bar trivia nights with her friends.
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Earlier this week, Walter exclusively told Us Weekly all about her favorite dishes she loves to cook – just like her Abbott Elementary character, Melissa Schemmenti. Walter told Us that she began cooking for her family at age 13 since her childhood consisted of “pizza and hotdogs.”
“I [hosted] a couple of big dinners for all of the cast and everybody came over and [director] Randall [Einhorn] was there on the second one, I think,” she recalled. “I made this dish called Macaroni Pesarese. I can’t even tell you how much Randall loved it so much [that] I gave him the recipe. He lost it and he called me from his house and he said ‘I have to make that pasta dish that you made, please give me the recipe right now.’ So I told it to him on the phone. Hopefully, he didn’t lose that one.”
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Walter, who is a trained dancer, also joked to Us in March that her steady paychecks from her Abbott Elementary gig have allowed her to take up dance again.
“I competed in hustle competitions, taught ballroom at Arthur Murray and was taught by the best Blackpool champs for Shall We Dance?, [but] I never learned the Argentine tango, so I am now – look at the effect on my booty!” she said.
