Rumer Willis had been constantly praised throughout the entire season of "Dancing With The Stars" but getting the stamp of approval from the public appears to be foreign thing for Bruce Willis and Demi Moore's daughter. In the July issue of Glamour Magazine, the champion of the dancing competition's 20th season shares just how much she struggled to accept herself physically and the obstacles she hurdled along the way.
The "Dancing With The Stars" grand winner started her essay with a quote, "Comparison is the thief of joy." Willis then went on to share that the difficulties she had to contend with growing up in the public eye included getting ridiculed almost everyday of her life by people she did not know. The mockery she received ranged from her physical appearance to trivial matters in her everyday life. She wrote, "I was constantly bullied because of my looks, so I struggled a lot with my body image." Willis added, "I wanted to have no butt; I wanted to have no boobs. For a long time I just wanted to look tiny and androgynous."
While both her parents are A-list celebrities in Hollywood and could have helped her deal with these issues, Willis revealed that she did not share her problems with either Bruce or Demi as these were "too painful." To help her get through the hardships, Willis tried to keep in mind her mother advice. "There's always going to be someone who's a better singer," Demi told her daughter. "There's always going to be someone more fit. There's always someone who's going to be, in your mind, better than you-who you're comparing yourself to. But you can't do that, because you will live such an unhappy life," she added.
Although she knew following her mother's words would benefit her, Willis admitted that it took quite some time before she was finally able to do it. She also disclosed that the "nastiest" comments were those from the Internet. Willis wrote that these comments combined with her insecurities instilled fear in her that was incredibly "debilitating," she began to get scared to commit even the simplest errors. She revealed, "Until recently the thought of making one misstep that could be criticized would stop me from trying new things and from standing up for myself."
Willis eventually came out of her shell and found inspiration from her siblings. Her stint in "Dancing With The Stars" Season 20 also boosted her confidence, and while she still has "bad days" when she feels down and "ugly," the dancing champion copes by reminding herself of her blessings. "What it comes down to is this: We all need to stop bullying ourselves and being cruel to other women," she wrote.
She added, "Attacking one another instead of supporting one another has become the norm. Life's hard enough as it is. Let's find strength in the fact that we're different and unique. Let's allow ourselves to say, "These are my flaws, but I'm still beautiful." Let's find our own value, know what we have to offer-and know that that is enough."
