Tori Spelling has opened up about the scrutiny she’s faced in the public eye and says she’s now at a point in her life where she’s “feeling the most confident”.
On 6 February, Spelling spoke with E! News about how much she’s personally grown over the years, saying her self-confidence in her 40s is a major “game changer”.
"I definitely didn’t find my stride with my self-confidence until probably my 30s, but I’ve got admit, I would say this past year I am feeling the most confident I ever have in my entire life,” she said.
“And that’s kind of a game-changer because I’m 48 years old and I feel like I look better than when I was in my 30s or 20s even,” the Beverly Hills, 90210 star added. “So it’s definitely important to me. For my kids, especially – my daughters.”
With her husband, Dean McDermott, Spelling has two daughters: Stella, 13, and Hattie, 10. The couple also share three sons: Liam, 14, Finn, nine, and Beau, four.
In regards to her daughters, Spelling noted that they had experienced bullying during their childhoods.
“I’m raising two strong females who have both dealt with bullying in the past,” she explained. “Kind of being right on it with their self-confidence game. I tell my girls since they were born how beautiful they are, not just physically but inside. I tell them all the time.”
Although Spelling feels more confident than ever, the actor has still acknowledged how the judgment she receives online can still get to her.
“While I can say it doesn’t affect me the way it did when people used to write about me in my teens or 20s, I’m still human,” she said.
More specifically, the actress noted how it’s often “women” or “moms” who’ve left her some rude comments on social media, which “blows [her] mind”.
“I’m like, wait, women, that’s our whole jam,” she said. “We support each other. We build each other up. To tear down another female is just madness to me.”
This isn’t the first time that Spelling has discussed how growing up in the spotlight has impacted her. Back in October 2020, Spelling called out internet trolls for insulting her for her eyes.
“When I started 90210 at 16 I was filled with low self confidence,” Spelling wrote in an Instagram post. “Then, internet trolls ( yep we had them back then too!) called me frog and bug eyed.”
“Being put under a microscope as a young girl in her formative years was hard,” she explained. “I spent years begging makeup artists on my shows and movies to please try to make my eyes look smaller.
At the time, Spelling also noted how she would often get asked why she only showed one side of her face to the camera in different photos and videos. While answering this question, the 90210 star said that she hid parts of her face due to how often she’s been cyberbullied.
“So, every time one of you ask me why I don’t look straight on in photos and videos know why I make that choice,” she wrote. “Years of hurtful comments that I don’t even want to share to give them energy. Way worse than bug or frog eyes.”
Spelling further emphasised in her post how much online bullying can hurt everyone, regardless of whether the hateful words are coming from someone they know or not.
“Just remember next time that you go to comment on someone’s account regarding their face or body or choices, you don’t know them,” she continued. “They don’t know you. But, their soul will remember that unkind comment. It’ll be imprinted on them.”
