Tracy Moore on body image and being a Black woman on TV: 'I learned to show up as myself'

Tracy Moore loves her gig at "Cityline."

On Thursday, the Canadian TV presenter, 47, opened up in an interview about her career in daytime television, how it has evolved — and the strides the industry has made over the past 14 years.

"I say this all the time: 'Don't fire me, I have a mortgage," Moore quipped before diving into what it has meant to her to show up "authentically" to work every day.

"Fourteen years ago when I started on the show, I did not know how to be on this show. I didn't know the experts on the show, I didn't know the format of the show, I didn't understand the audience of the show," she said. "So it was really by trial and error that I learned to show up as myself."

Moore recalled that when she first started, "things like race and gender" were not a topic of conversation.

Now, knowing that she's "in a space that is open to conversations about misogynoir or Indigenous rights land back," it has been easier for Moore to be herself. "Issues about immigrant women trying to make it in this country — the fact that we're talking about all those sorts of issues, allows me to show up more as myself."

The Richmond Hill, Ont.-born TV presenter shared that it "really messes with your head being on TV, body image-wise."

"I've been everything from a size 4 to a 14 on this show, and really battled with how I can be me in this space and not be critiqued and judged for it," Moore said, adding that in the early days of her career, she was pressured to swap her hairstyle.

"I came in here with twist extensions because I was trying to find a professional look as a Black woman for television," she recalled. "I thought it was professional. My bosses at the time, who are no longer here, did not."

"It was a big cheat on who I really am, but I was willing to do that for this job," the mom-of-two said.

Moore's frankness about her career — among other things — is nothing new.

Last month, Moore took to Instagram to share a video from her Mexican vacation — and paired it with another powerful message about self-acceptance and authenticity.

In on-screen text placed over a montage of Moore candidly enjoying her holiday alongside her 12-year-old daughter, Eva, she wrote: "POV: Your body is always ready for vacation."

"I didn’t get my body ready for vacation because my body is always ready for vacation. I didn’t find figure-flattering bikinis because my figure is always flattering," she penned. "I didn’t hesitate to put on a bikini and flail in the waves because any hesitation would cut into my joy."

"Your body is ready. Your suit is perfect. Go put it on and have fun," she concluded.

Previously, she's also opened up about everything from shapewear to pressure to "fix" her appearance to size inclusivity.

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