I had body esteem issues as a child –Juliet Ibrahim

Ghanaian actress and author, Juliet Ibrahim, has said that as a child, she had body esteem issues. In an interview with Saturday Beats, she said, “In my book, I spoke about the many struggles I have gone through. From Liberia to Lebanon, Ivory Coast and Ghana, I survived the upheaval of wars across countries, being torn away from my family and losing memories. “However, that is only the beginning of my story. I was a child with body-esteem issues, a teenager dealing with abuse in silence, a young woman making mistakes in love and an adult finding cause to celebrate life. “This is to make others aware and to correct the misconception about celebrities having it all. Celebrities also break down. They have emotions and sometimes, they might not have it all. The aim of my book was to empower every girl child that no matter their background, they can rise above it with hard work and determination.’’ The actress also noted that the most challenging part of being a celebrity was staying relevant and living up to the expectations of one’s followers. She said, “The most challenging aspects of being a celebrity are staying relevant, trying to improve on what one does and most especially, living up to the expectations of one’s followers. I am a work in progress. I am human like everyone else and I try to always be a better person. Giving up or backing down has never occurred to me.’’ Ibrahim also stated that she was not pleased with how the LGBT community was being treated in Africa. She said, “I am an activist and a humanitarian. I do not support any citizen of any country practising jungle justice. Nobody has the right to intentionally harm another human being on the basis of their sexuality.”