Earlier this year, Chrissy Metz partnered with Walmart to showcase clothing that she believes embodies “confidence-inspiring style.” But during a Thursday video call to “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” the “This Is Us” star explained that, for her, it’s more than just a business arrangement.
Working with the retailer is a full-circle moment, one that takes her back to her childhood, when times were tough and the fashions on the rack were less than inspiring.
Metz mentioned that, on a recent trip back to her hometown of Gainesville, Florida, she saw the familiar sight of the store she shopped at as a child.
“I drove by the Walmart my mom and I used to walk to because my mom’s car didn’t work,” she said. “It was super far. It felt like 10 miles, but I think it was only four.”
In the central Florida heat, it might as well have been 10. But once a young Metz arrived at her destination, it wasn’t always worth the walk.
“When I was a young kid, a chubby little girl, they didn’t have cute clothes,” she said plainly. “Like there weren’t cute clothes for chubby girls — or for anybody who was sort of outside of straight sizes, generally.”
The quest for her then, and for many now, was the often elusive “affordable but also trendy” styles.
“I think that’s really important,” the 39-year-old told Clarkson, “because when we feel good, we do good. All of that. It’s all sort of encompassing.”
That’s why she’s “super grateful” to curate a collection of her favorite outfits for the retailer these days.
“When I was approached by Walmart, I was like, ‘Oh well, yeah, this is something that makes sense for me,” she said.
And it makes her inner child smile.
“It’s funny how life happens,” she noted. “It all folds in. I would have never thought a girl struggling in Gainesville, Florida, would have a really important partnership with (Walmart).”