The 41-year-old "Parenthood" actress, who recently opened up about her body insecurities, said her peers made her feel "inadequate" and "out of place," reported People magazine.
"I hated me: I was too damn skinny and I wanted to be thicker. I didn't want to be no stinkin' beanpole.
"The world around me only confirmed my proportion distortion. Like my best friend's mother telling me on a regular basis that I looked like a boy. Or that same best friend telling me I was lucky I was cute, or else no guys would ever talk to me because I was so bony. Or people telling me to put some meat on my bones," Bryant said.
"I wasn't even in high school yet, but comments on my body, what it should look like, and whom it should please, were the norm. I felt like a sidelined player keeping the bench warm as everyone else played the game I so desperately wanted to be in.