Today show star Jenna Bush Hager is living proof that sometimes the things we say to kids can stay with them forever. The former first daughter has revealed how a critical comment about her weight from grandmother Barbara Bush kept her from wearing a two-piece swimsuit for years — a habit she finally broke at the end of 2022.
The 41-year-old shared the story about her grandmother with cohost Hoda Kotb.
Jenna made the big reveal on Today on Thursday, describing how Barbara once told her she was “looking chubby” while she was wearing a yellow bikini as a teen. The moment was so painful for Jenna that she wanted to “hide,” sparking sadness and outrage over the body-shaming comment.
It sounds like Barbara was known for her harsh tongue.
Jenna, who is now a mom to three kids, went on to describe her late grandmother as having a “biting personality,” which we can totally see based on her weight comment. Jenna’s love for Barbara, however, was obviously strong enough to overcome the cruel words. She described to Hoda how much she “adored” Barbara despite the body-shaming incident.
Barbara later apologized for her harmful words.
Barbara must have realized what a mistake she made, because Jenna said she eventually admitted that she didn’t mean to criticize her granddaughter. Instead, she believed she was “talking to [herself],” since her own mother [Pauline Pierce] spent years talking down to her.
“Her mother always thought of her sister as the really beautiful one and would say it,” Jenna explained. “‘Martha’s the pretty one. You’re the funny one. You’re the smart one.'”
Jenna's own mother, Laura Bush, took a much different approach.
According to Jenna, her mom never commented on her weight, which is likely why it was so surprising when Jenna found old papers showing one of her childhood New Year’s resolutions was to lose four pounds.
“It broke my heart,” she said in 2016 of her discovery, before revealing she’d stopped setting weight loss goals for herself.
Jenna's determined to set a good example for her kids.
There won’t be any generational curses in Jenna’s house. “After having three kids, three C-sections, [I did it],” she said on Today of finally slipping into a bikini again.
We’re so happy to hear it! Jenna will show her children — Mila, 9, Poppy, 7, and Hal, 3 — just how important it is to love your body, no matter what shape or size it is.
