Celebrity News
Over the last few years, social media platforms, mainly Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, have been used to highlight important moments in one's life, including personal and professional achievements.
But unfortunately, for some, this experience can be seen as an adverse one stemming from the negative comments on one's page. One person in particular who has endured the dark side of social media is Cori Broadus, the daughter of veteran hip-hop rapper Snoop Dogg. The model has revealed in the past that she has been cyberbullied for years over her physical appearance and relationship with photographer Wayne Duece. Some of these remarks ultimately led to Broadus' mental health struggles and a suicide attempt. But with the support of her family and now fiancé Wayne Duece, she overcame the pain.
Broadus and Duece, who have been together since August 2018, got engaged last year. During her appearance on The Karamo Show on April 6, Broadus opened up about the negative reaction she received from social media users after announcing her engagement online and the overall lesson she wants to share with others.
Broadus On Her Engagement
The 23-year-old shared that something that was meant to be a joyous occasion in her life turned out to be the "saddest" after revealing the news online because of the comments surrounding how she looked and Duece's loyalty.
"It made me very sad because, like, this is a happy moment, you know what I mean. This is something I wanted to share with the world. I actually waited like a day because I knew just being in the public eye, you know, people are going to say things. Whether you post something good or you post something bad, it's always going to be somebody who has something negative to say," she told Karamo Brown. "So it really brought me to a place where I don't wish on anybody because it's supposed to be the happiest moment of my life, but when I read the comments, it made me the saddest girl in life."
Further, in the interview, Broadus mentioned some of the trolls' remarks. The list consisted of many accusing Duece of using her because of her father's celebrity status and others talking about her weight and skin tone. Broadus added that the changes she has gone through with her physical appearance are because of her lupus diagnosis.
Cleveland Clinic describes lupus as an "autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and pain" throughout an individual's body. Depending on the specific type of lupus one is diagnosed with, it could negatively impact the individual's vital organs ranging from blood to the brain. The site also states that there is no cure for lupus. One can adjust to living with the disease by managing one's health and taking medication, to name a few.
Broadus was first diagnosed with lupus by a medical professional at 6 years old and stated that due to the condition and the prescribed medication, her weight would fluctuate, and her skin tone would change.
Broadus On Accepting Her Weight And Her Skin Tone
As the topic shifted to colorism and weight, Broadus expressed feeling like an "outcast" from her family and friends because she had darker skin and a rounder appearance.
Broadus also recounted moments where she would lie in bed with her mother and cry because she didn't want to be "dark" or "big." During one of those times, the entrepreneur stated that she had "to learn how to just love" herself regardless of what anyone says.
"I used to cry to mom 'like I wish I was lighter.' I was 12 years old, crying in the bed to my mom like boohooing. Like, 'I wish I was lighter. I wish I wasn't dark. I wish I wasn't big,' she said. "I started gaining all this weight because I was put on steroids, and you know steroids make you hungry and make you eat. I love to eat regardless. So that's just kind of where all of that just came about. I mean, even to this day, I still look at myself sometimes, I just have to learn to just love me for me naturally."
Broadus continued that despite her lowest moments now as an adult dealing with the discoloration of her physical appearance because of lupus, she still tries to find the positive by using encouraging words like "you're still beautiful."
"Like right now, my skin is going through a hyperpigmentation from my lupus, and there are some days I just looked in the mirror and cry like, 'why is this happening to me?' But it's like you're still beautiful. You're okay. You're going to love it. [If] this is the new her, you got to just embrace it," she stated.
Broadus Advice To Others
Broadus disclosed that despite all she has gone through with cyberbullying, she wants others to know that the only person's opinion that matters is their own. She went as far as to say once an individual becomes comfortable with themselves, that is the only time their negative view would change.
"My goal now is to talk to young women, talk to young boys, so this stuff can be instilled in them when they're younger. Because if I had this stuff instilled in me when I was younger, whatever anybody had to say about me wouldn't have mattered — because I know how I look, I know how I feel, and I'm fine with it," Broadus said.
To date, Broadus and Duece are still currently planning their upcoming nuptials and have officially set a wedding date.
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Feature image by @princessbroadus/ Instagram
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