Singer Brandy has broken her silence after facing body-shaming comments and speculation about her health following recent public appearances.
While she didn’t address the speculation directly in her lengthy statement, many online believe the post was prompted by rumours surrounding her recent weight loss.
The Grammy-winning singer and actress used the opportunity to reflect on aging, healing and self-love.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today
Brandy, who has recently stepped back into the spotlight, shared the emotional Instagram post over the weekend, urging fans to be “gentler” with one another.
The 47-year-old added “everyone is carrying a story we cannot see”.
“Haayyy Beauty,” Brandy wrote, alongside a carousel of pictures.
“Perhaps we’ve been looking for it in all the wrong places. In youth. In perfection. In approval. In bodies that never change and faces that never age.
“But life was never meant to leave us untouched. It shapes us. It humbles us. It refines us. Every season leaves its signature upon us.
“And maybe that’s where beauty has been all along. Not in escaping change, but in becoming through it.”
Brandy shot to fame in 1994 with her debut album Brandy and hit single I Wanna Be Down.
She reminded fans not to be so quick to judge people’s appearance, urging them instead to consider what others — particularly those in the public eye — may have lived through.
“So may we become gentler with one another. Not because everyone is fragile, but because everyone is carrying a story we cannot see,” Brandy said.
“Our words have weight. Our judgments have weight. Our kindness does too.
“The world will always be tempted to measure people by what is visible. But love has never looked only at the surface. Love sees the whole person.
“I’ve stopped trying to earn my reflection. I’ve stopped asking the mirror to tell me who I am. I know who I am. And that knowing has given me a freedom no opinion could ever take away.”
The strong statement comes after fans began speculating about Brandy’s health following photos from a July visit to her hometown of McComb, Mississippi.
The 47-year-old was honoured with the key to her hometown in what marked a major career milestone.
Instead, social media quickly shifted its focus to her weight loss, with many fans expressing concern and questioning whether she was okay after photos from the ceremony circulated online.
Earlier this year, Brandy returned to the spotlight when she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.
She later she released her memoir, Phases, which delves into some of the most talked-about moments of her career and personal life, including her long-running drama with singer Monica and battling an eating disorder as a teenager.
Brandy finished her post with one final message to fans.
“Before you speak about someone’s body, before you speak about someone’s face, before you decide who they are by what you see, remember, you are looking at someone’s child,” Brandy said.
“Someone’s friend. Someone’s dream. Someone’s life. A soul.
“And souls have always been more beautiful than surfaces.
“love bran.”
