When your idol is the size of a house, it’s time for a change. With a net worth of over $30 million, Sherri Shepherd is the definition of a wealthy, successful, and beautiful woman. The only difference is that she’s not the same size she was when we last saw her. And it’s all thanks to an unlikely place. Twitter.
The former host of The Real World: Atlanta premiered an advertisement for CoverGirl on Twitter. The 30-second spot, called #MyCoverGirl, features Sherri wearing a variety of cosmetics. As she promotes the products, she drops a series of bombshells about her past and shares her struggles to become healthier. It’s a beautiful depiction of a modern-day saint. And it all started with a tweet.
“I want to inspire women, particularly, to feel good about themselves,” said Sherri. “I think you should only do what makes you happy, and if that’s being a skinny minny then, you know what, so be it.”
The Tweet That Launched A Weightloss Campaign
Within minutes of posting the ad, Sherri’s stunning transformation was on display. As Twitter’s popular social media manager Diego Gutierrez said, ‘We all saw her, and we were like, ‘Whoa, that’s not what I expected.'” The internet’s response was overwhelming—with millions of people across the globe celebrating her shape-shifting ways.
As the ad continues, Sherri drops more truth bombs about her life and provides a number of helpful tips for women. “I never thought I’d have to tell someone to lose weight,” she said. “It wasn’t something I’d ever thought about. I guess I’ve just always done what makes me happy, and that’s included food and drink. I used to love my food and love to cook. But for some reason, I can’t feel that way anymore. It’s like my body is saying, ‘I’m full, stop.'”
Why Twitter?
While Instagram and Facebook offer celebrities a wealth of opportunities to showcase their lifestyles, Twitter provides a platform for them to share their truths. If a star decides to take advantage of this, they can have an extraordinary impact on our perceptions of beauty, health, and fitness.
The platform is an excellent choice for someone like Sherri, whose fans are more likely to read her tweets and follow her health-related tweets than they are to see her post a picture of herself eating a chocolate bar.
So, while the media may have you believe that you need an app to keep up with what’s happening in the world—and you might be right—you can’t ignore the fact that you have one in front of you the entire time.
There’s also the fact that it’s a place where real-life occurrences intersect with virtual reality. Witness the impact that actor Kim Kardashian has on the platform’s charts as she documents her life and loves in 140 characters or less. Or, look to reality star Kate Upton as she shares the ins and outs of her body in the most unexpected of places, the kitchen.
The opportunity costs of ignoring Twitter are high. With over 300 million active monthly users and 1.4 billion monthly active users, the potential reach of the platform for someone like Sherri is immense. If she can help even one person reduce their daily caloric intake or promote healthy eating habits, it will have been worth it.
The Evolution Of A Superstar
From reality TV show judge to award-winning author and journalist, Sherri’s journey is one of transformation. From a size 12 to a size 4, she’s gone from a small-town girl to a global superstar. And along the way, she’s lost over 100 pounds and kept it off.
As a teenager, Sherri dreamed of becoming a writer. While she initially attended college for journalism, she later transferred to Georgia State University’s School of Literature, where she completed her bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in writing. Her first job out of college was as a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she was responsible for covering crime and courts. It was here that she first started seeing the light at the end of the reporting tunnel.
From crime to fashion, Sherri then moved to New York City, where she took on a number of positions in PR, including social media manager for Sephora and special projects manager for MAC Cosmetics. While in New York, she began blogging for Elite Daily, and in 2017, she published her first book, Sugar Free, which became a bestseller and appeared on several best-of lists. Since then she’s released another book, This Is What Happy Looks Like, and debuted as a solo artist with a single called ‘No Excuses.’
Sherri is also a regular panelist on the award-winning news and lifestyle podcast ‘The Daily Download,’ where she interviews some of the biggest names in media and pop culture.
No wonder why the world’s most famous womanizer (and former fiance of Katie Holmes) Bryan Lee Jones chose to name his newest album after her. Jones describes himself as a “longtime fan” who was “honored” to have sung and recorded a duet with Sherri.
Tips For Weight Loss
As a public figure who’s devoted a large part of her life to helping others, Sherri’s advice for those looking to lose weight is as effective today as it was when she first gave it. “If you want to lose weight, you need to figure out why you want to lose weight,” she said. “It’s not healthy for you to be heavy. It doesn’t look good on you, and it certainly doesn’t feel good.”
She continued, “You need to look at your diet and be honest with yourself. It might be that you’re hungry all the time and that you eat when you’re not even that hungry. If you want to lose weight, try going to the doctor and getting a nutritionist. They can help you figure out what’s wrong. It might be that you have an underlying health issue that needs to be addressed. There are a lot of reasons why you want to lose weight, and once you figure out why, there are things you can do to fix it.”
Sherri’s own journey to weight loss was both challenging and inspiring. She admits that she suffered from depression and anxiety as a result of being on the road to recovery from an eating disorder (she’s recovered from both). But she also credits her success to her unwavering determination to lose weight and the support of those around her, including her co-stars from the Real World and her fans.
“I was really lucky,” she said. “I found a way to be healthy and happy, and I want to share that with other women. It doesn’t mean that you have to lose a hundred pounds or even fifty. You should do what makes you happy and healthy and comfortable in your own skin. That’s the important thing.”