23 Reasons Jessica Alba Left The Hollywood Limelight

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23. She Had A Rough Childhood

Mirror

Jessica Alba dealt with a lot of challenges in her early years, from a multitude of physical maladies to feeling no sense of belonging. During her childhood, Alba suffered from partially collapsed lungs, a ruptured appendix, a tonsillar cyst, and had pneumonia multiple times a year. She’s also had asthma since she was young. Because she was often confined in the hospital, she became isolated from other children and no one got to know her well enough at school to befriend her. Her family also frequently moved, and this, along with her unique look because of her diverse ancestry, contributed to her isolation from her peers.

Raised in a very conservative Catholic household, Alba was often judged for her appearance even then. Her youth pastor would tell it was her fault if older men hit on her, and this made her ashamed of her body and being a woman. Alba felt she didn’t belong anywhere—not with other children, not with her family, and not with the church—and perhaps all this contributed to her change in perspective and priorities, jumping from an industry where she continued to be typecast because of her looks to creating a company that promoted self-care and self-love.