If you grew up in the early 2000s, you'll remember the aesthetic. It was all about the super low-rise jeans, cropped camisole tops, and a relentless obsession with "size zero."
For millennials, coming of age during the noughties meant navigating a pop culture landscape where women’s bodies were treated as public property. Tabloids and gossip magazines regularly featured "circles of shame" zooming in on the slightest hint of cellulite.
Few people experienced the whiplash of this era quite as intensely as Kimberley Walsh. As one-fifth of Girls Aloud, one of the UK’s most iconic and successful girl bands, Kimberley was catapulted into the spotlight in 2002. Behind the chart-topping singles and glossy music videos, she was navigating an industry that scrutinised every inch of her body.
© Getty ImagesNow, in her early forties, Walsh has opened up on the Second Act podcast with Ateh Jewel, shedding light on the brutal realities of 2000s body shaming - and how she finally broke free from its grip.
"Back then, the culture was completely different," Kimberley noted in her conversation with Ateh, reflecting on the intense external pressures of her twenties.
"I really tried to not let it take hold of me because it's such a dangerous time to comment on a girl's weight at that age."
But she did struggle at times. "I was always dieting," she said. "Everybody was in those days. I wasn't a naturally slim person. It was hard for me, at that age."
© Getty ImagesShe added: "I got bullied for my bum, and now people pay how much for that? ... Now I just need some Spanx to lift mine."
Kimberley has now swapped the calorie-counting and restrictive fads for a holistic approach to wellbeing that prioritises strength, nourishment, and, above all, gratitude. "You have to learn to work with what you've got, is what I'm saying. Like, one person might love this about themselves and one person will hate that. Everybody has a positive and I think once you work out that it's a lot easier to dress yourself."
And her approach to dieting? "I really love food," she says. "And I don't ever sort of say no to things. So I realised in the early days of dieting whenever I did that, all I'm doing is like craving when I can eat that again. So, I'm quite good, but I think I'm just quite balanced. I think it all kind of evens out throughout the week. And so, as long sas I work out like a few times a week, I can sort of maintain where I'm at."
And she's a fan of strength training: "I'm a weights girl because I think it's mental challenge. It's like you can physically see how strong you are and it makes you believe in yourself."
This shift in perspective hasn't just come from age. The tragic passing of her bandmate and close friend, Sarah Harding, at just 39, reordered Kimberley' priorities. When you lose someone so young, the privilege of simply having a body - of growing older, of experiencing another birthday - overshadows the desire to look a certain way.
“It has changed how I feel about growing old,” the 44-year-old told us. “You have to make the most of every day. I see every single birthday as a massive privilege that I still get to be here. Me and Sarah were the same age. Literally three days apart. And she didn't make it, obviously, to her 40th. Every birthday hits hard for me.”
Having switched careers between singing, acting and presenting for Morning Live, Kimberley is now in her businesswoman era launching a new three-step range of beauty products with Pure Tone Aesthetics.
Kimberley Walsh x Pure Tone Aesthetics is available exclusively at puretoneaesthetics.com. HELLO! readers can receive 20% off with code HELLO20
Listen to the Second Act podcast, now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts and Youtube.
