Fame, Motherhood, Body Image & The Impossible Standards Women Face

She was topping charts across three countries before she could vote. Then the industry that made her famous told her to shrink, and she nearly disappeared trying to do it. Ming Bridges gained forty kilos, lost herself for five years, and reached a point where she didn't want to be here anymore. What turned it around took her by surprise, and it happened faster than she ever expected. Now she's a mother of two under two, running three businesses, and living with an ADHD diagnosis that came decades later than it should have. She talks about the moment a viral video turned her body into public property, the pregnancy sickness so bad it launched a business, and the parenting mantra she's trying to live by before her daughters are old enough to repeat her mistakes. This is a conversation about fame, food, motherhood, and what it actually takes to come back from rock bottom. Click play. **IN THIS EPISODE:** 00:00 | The Impossible Standard: Why Are Women Never Enough? 00:35 | Welcome to Growing Pains with Ming Bridges 01:52 | "You Need to Lose Weight": The Dark Side of Teen Stardom 04:34 | 40 Kilos Later: Getting Kicked Out of the Industry 06:58 | 5 Years of Struggling vs. 2 Weeks of Healing 10:51 | Generational Trauma & The Danger of "Good Intentions" 13:40 | Why "You Look Pretty" is the Wrong Compliment for Our Daughters 17:03 | Launching a Business Out of Pure Pregnancy Rage 24:31 | "I Just Rotate What I'm Failing At": The Reality of Two Under Two 27:55 | Missing Brain Tabs: Navigating Motherhood with Adult ADHD 31:10 | The Viral Swimsuit Video & Dismantling the Toxic Male Gaze 37:29 | Quick-Fire: The Single Mantra to Cure Mom Guilt 42:52 | Episode Takeaways: Stop Glorifying the Rush ### **About Ming Bridges** Ming Bridges is a two-time TEDx speaker and body positivity advocate who first became known as a teenage pop star, topping charts in Singapore, Taiwan, and Malaysia and winning Teenage magazine's Teenage Icon at 13. The pressures of the entertainment industry led to a severe eating disorder, one she has spoken openly about rebuilding her life from. She is now the founder of three businesses: sustainable fashion rental platform Rentadella, footwear line Bridge and Bella, and clean hydration brand Formi Wellness, which she launched during her second pregnancy. Connect with Ming: Tedx talk: Fat, Hungry and Desperate TEDx Talk YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC\_Xjm3CW-axf4CBAqmJmYRQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mingbridges/?hl=en Find out more about her businesses: Formi: https://itsformi.com/ Rentadella: https://www.instagram.com/rentadella/?hl=en Bridge and Bella: https://www.bridgeandbella.com/ ### **What You'll Take Away** - How a modeling agency's four words at 18 sent her into a five year spiral - The moment a viral video turned her body into a headline she never asked for - Why she says her ADHD didn't fully show up until she became a mother - What made her launch a supplement brand while too sick to leave her bed - The question she asks first when her daughter says she hates how she looks - Why recovery took her five years too long, and what changed in two weeks - The mantra she repeats every day that reframes everything going wrong in her life ### **Connect with Growing Pains** Growing Pains is HoneyKids Asia's podcast for the conversations you want to have after the kids go to bed. YouTube: @growingpains.honeykids Instagram: @honeykidsasia Website: honeykidsasia.com Hit subscribe so you don't miss an episode. If this one resonated, share it with a parent who needs it. Growing Pains is produced in partnership with Poddster, Singapore's podcast studio.