Body Confidence

Jayne Kennedy

Not all women who once had The Body feel attractive and in shape now. Jayne Kennedy was the first black Miss Ohio to compete in the Miss USA pageant. She later went to Hollywood and was the first black woman sportscaster on CBS's NFL Today.

At age 54, Jayne says she's not happy with her body. She developed endometriosis in her 30s, which made it painful to exercise. She decided to become a full-time mother, taking care of her three daughters and a stepdaughter. During this time she gained a significant amount of weight, which she hasn't been able to lose.

In the early eighties, Jayne made a popular exercise video, Love Your Body, and her philosophy was "You should love your body and accept yourself for who you are." At present, she says, "I don't like the way I look." She believes that if you're not in shape and want to lose weight, "you shouldn't be complacent and think, 'This is just the way I am.' You should set a goal and go after it."

She says she can't work in the entertainment business now. "Success is based 90 percent on how you look," Jayne says. "That hurts me. Why can't I be a 54-year-old woman with gray hair who's overweight? Why do I have to compete with Halle Berry?" Her agenda, she says, is not to recapture the body she once had but "to get to where I'm happy with myself." She laughs. "I'm determined, and I will get there."