Alana Thompson, formerly ‘Honey Boo Boo,’ thinks Gen Z is making body shaming worse

• Alana Thompson told Teen Vogue she would like everyone to stop calling her "Honey Boo Boo."
• Thompson also discussed how she thinks Generation Z is making body shaming worse.
• She wants to study nursing but doesn't mind if you still think of her as a beauty queen.
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Alana Thompson has grown out of her tiara and wishes the world would respect that.

Thompson first appeared on TLC's "Toddlers & Tiaras" in 2012 when she was just six years old. Her sassy personality made her a fan favorite, earned her the nickname "Honey Boo Boo," and eventually led to a spinoff show focusing on her family, including her mom June Shannon and her sister Lauryn "Pumpkin" Shannon.

Thompson, now almost 16, has lived almost a decade of her life in the spotlight and is ready to talk about important issues like body shaming, which she experiences on a regular basis.

Thompson told Teen Vogue that contrary to popular belief, she doesn't think Generation Z is doing much to promote body inclusivity and decrease fatphobia in society. "I feel like my generation is probably making it worse. Everybody's all about body positivity, body positivity, until they see a body they don't like," she told the publication.

She also said she'll never be able to wrap her mind around why people feel the need to body shame others.

"Just because I got a little bit of extra meat on my bones, you want to hate me?" she asked, rhetorically, adding that despite her haters, she knows she's "got a banging body."

Teenagers struggle with self-esteem issues, even when they haven't lived most of their lives in front of cameras. But Thompson said she's never been envious of her peers. "I don't ever wish to be like nobody. I am my own person," she told Teen Vogue.

All of the confidence in the world doesn't change the fact that her reality TV fame can have a lonely side. Thompson admitted in another part of the interview that she's skeptical about people who might only want to get to know her because she's a public figure and says because of that "I don't have friends."

Since Thompson's mother was arrested on drug-related charges in 2019, per the Los Angeles Times, she currently lives with her sister, Pumpkin, her brother-in-law, Josh, and her niece, Ella. She told Teen Vogue she's working towards getting "back on track" with her mom, but is focusing on school so she can one day live her dream of becoming a nurse.

Though Thompson is working toward a career far from the pageant stage right now, she doesn't mind if you think of her when you think of beauty queens.

"I mean, to myself I was a pageant queen," she said.