KayCee Stroh revealed followers wrote to Disney complaining that her casting in Excessive Faculty Musical was “unhealthy.”

In an interview with Individuals, the Disney alum famous that she’d been instructed from a younger age that she didn’t belong within the trade, typically going through skepticism from mentors and friends as a result of not having the “excellent” dancer’s physique.

At 19, being forged in HSM as Martha Cox by Kenny Ortega felt like a turning level for Stroh.

“My entire life I used to be an even bigger, muscular, curvy woman,” she recalled. “The one factor I assumed would all the time maintain me again was the very factor that made me who I’m, and it made me stand out that day.”

She continued, “All of it made sense to me. It was like my entire life got here into… I used to be speculated to be this manner …”

Regardless of her dedication, Stroh revealed that followers wrote to Disney Channel, shaming them for casting somebody they deemed “unhealthy.”

Stroh has spoken about her dedication to difficult societal views on physique picture. Now a mom of two, she advocates for physique positivity and self-acceptance, emphasizing that expertise is just not decided by physique dimension.

“In the event that they solely had taken the time to get to know me and notice that I grew up dancing 5 hours a day, and that wasn’t in any respect the state of affairs,” Stroh mentioned. “It was so devastating to see how individuals simply prejudge others based mostly on one thing as shallow as their outer look whereas they’re right here on this earth.”

Earlier than Excessive Faculty Musical, Stroh mentioned she underwent knee surgical procedure and skilled a blood clot, which resulted in a 50-pound weight acquire. She mirrored, “I’m glad it occurred once I was younger and recent within the trade as a result of I actually discovered shortly to construct empathy for others.”

“Healed individuals don’t harm individuals, and I hope these individuals can sometime discover happiness and heal their interior trauma, or the generational physique trauma that was handed on to them,” she continued. “I actually simply take a look at it like, ‘I’m sorry for you.’ I hope you discover happiness and notice sometime that there’s a lot extra to life than that.”

This isn’t the primary time Stroh has candidly spoken concerning the impact the leisure trade has had on her physique picture points. In a 2019 interview with Dance Spirit, Stroh mentioned her struggles with physique dysmorphia, anorexia, and bulimia, which started early in her dance profession.

She recalled, “From a really early age, I bear in mind wanting within the mirror after which on the women subsequent to me and realizing, ‘Oh, wow, they’re all like knees and elbows and actually gangling. Is that ordinary? Is that what I’m speculated to be?’”

These challenges had been magnified by the stress to suit into the inflexible requirements of the dance and leisure industries. Regardless of the criticism and self-doubt, Stroh remained devoted to her craft, noting she spent numerous hours within the studio, typically napping on the ground whereas surrounded by the sound of faucet footwear, as she pursued her ardour for dance.

Since her Excessive Faculty Musical days, Stroh has advocated for physique positivity and self-acceptance, sharing these messages along with her kids and on social media. She was launched to TikTok and Instagram throughout a pre-pandemic grasp class, the place younger college students inspired her to strive the platforms. With assist from her husband, Ben Higginson, she posted her first TikTok video, which went viral.

At the moment, Stroh has greater than 3 million followers on TikTok and 760,000 on Instagram, the place she engages with audiences and promotes messages of positivity.