Fans think Vanessa Simmons, or someone on her team, may need to brush up on their photo retouching skills. New images of the actress have aroused an array of reactions, including some scrutiny.
The eldest of Rev. Run’s children stunned fans with her curvier figure and subtle glam look when she appeared on the red carpet for Elton John’s AIDS Foundation Oscars party in a sequined, floor-length, long-sleeve, champagne-colored gown boasting a scoop neck and peek-a-boo cleavage. More than a few onlookers agreed that the 40-year-old was a sight to behold.
“You are wearing that dress !!!!! Yassssssss hunty!!! Gorg!!” wrote one person fawning over her in the comments of one of the posts showing off moments from the evening.
“Okay okay I see somebody want a rapper to rap about them next. ‘I gotta crush on Nessa…Simmons,'” read a cheeky reaction that referenced her younger sister, Angela Simmons, and the fact that her beau, rapper Yo Gotti, manifested their love connection years prior on his 2016 song “Down in the DM.”
A third individual simply stated, “Lawd Have Mercy..now those are grown woman curves!!” But not everyone was impressed with what they saw; in fact, a few people were critical of Vanessa’s size and what some call a heavy-handed Photoshop job that significantly trimmed down her waist.
In one of her posts, she can be seen standing in an erect posture with her hands posed right at her midriff. In the other, she stands with her left foot slightly in front of the right and one hand resting on her hip, a pose that made the “Games People Play” star appear longer and leaner than in the prior photo. And there lies the problem: She appears to be two significantly different sizes to those assessing the images.
left = real life.
— MarKeisha | Career Coach (@_mstrdom) March 12, 2024
right = photoshopped?
One critical comment read, “Photoshop is à fail here.” A second stated, “left = real life. right = photoshopped?” when the two images were reposted side by side on X. “She looks nice but she’s soooo big,” wrote a critic.
A supporter of the Pastry co-founder theorized that the harsh remarks about her appearance had nothing to do with editing and instead had everything to do with how she was posed. “She looks good….but I was like I guess angles really matter. She definitely looks thicker in the 1st than she does the 2nd,” they wrote in her defense.
The mother of one, who shares a daughter named Ava with Michael Wayans, comedy great Damon Wayans’ son, has been transparent about her struggles with weight gain. In 2020, during season 5 of “Growing Up Hip Hop,” Vanessa admitted to feeling insecure about her fuller face.
Whoever commented "the fat version of Angela Simmons" on Vanessa’s Instagram should’ve got cursed tf out😤 #GUHH pic.twitter.com/7bNrKrDkVc
— 💞💋 мя𝐒👓💤🦄 💋 (@MrsNae804) May 1, 2020
“I’m not confident enough next to Angela, who’s like Miss Fitness right now. To me, like, yeah, I’m feeling very self-conscious,” she explained. She further touched on how body shaming and being asked if she was pregnant in her comments had taken a toll on her.
Last year, the pressure to slim down led her to undergo body contouring with Lipo360. In her two-month update, she said, “This is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, honestly, to really hit the body that I have for myself. I am feeling a little bit more confident in my body.”
The “Monogamy” actress also said she was committed to maintaining the look with necessary lifestyle changes. Like her younger sister, Vanessa is involved in the wellness space.
While Angela is big on promoting workouts and embracing natural bodies via Instagram and with her Built Not Bought brand, Vanessa is the founder of U4IA Wellness, a company that hosts wellness retreats and a holistic approach to self-care well-being.
