Barbara Walters has previewed her interview with Jennifer Lawrence for the 2013 Most Fascinating list. Babs is leading with JLaw’s most infamous stance, which involves JLaw discussing body image in great contrast to other Hollywood starlets. Have you ever noticed that young actresses like Emma Stone and Emma Watson never, ever talk about body image? Both of them maintain fashion house and cosmetic endorsements, and Stone in particular has dropped a great deal of weight in comparison to just a few years ago.
I don’t mean any harm by singling out the Emmas. They are both lovely and gracious ladies, but they don’t speak out at all against the status quo. I don’t even blame them for that. It’s daunting to shake things up when one’s employment depends on making nice with the men and women in power suits. Whereas Oscar-winning JLaw is in a position to fight back. I do very much appreciate her dedication to keeping body image to the forefront of discussion. She tells off anyone who tells her to diet. She’s especially tired of shows like the Fashion Police who criticize stars’ weight. JLaw’s declaration prompted a rude response from Joan Rivers, but Jennifer doesn’t care. She’s still talking:
Jennifer Lawrence said “it should be illegal” to call someone fat and, in an interview with Barbara Walters, railed against people who bash the way women look.
“Because why is humiliating people funny?” the 23-year-old Oscar winner told Walters in an interview for the upcoming ABC News special, “Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2013.”
“I just think it should be illegal to call somebody fat on TV.”
Lawrence became Hollywood’s new “It” girl after she was picked to play Katniss Everdeen, the heroine in the film adaptations of the Hunger Games series. It’s a role that launched Lawrence to mega-stardom. Since stepping into the spotlight, Lawrence has been criticized for her figure, considered full by Hollywood standards, and it makes her furious.
“I get it, and, and I do it too, we all do it,” she told Walters. “[But] the media needs to take responsibility for the effect that it has on our younger generation, on these girls who are watching these television shows, and picking up how to talk and how to be cool.
“I mean, if we’re regulating cigarettes and sex and cuss words, because of the effect they have on our younger generation, why aren’t we regulating things like calling people fat?” she said.
[From ABC News]
JLaw makes a good point, but good luck on Congress ever enacting a law that prohibits calling people fat on television. The feds only care about obscenity, indecency, and profanity. I think it’s really up to individual stations to lead the charge on this issue, and there’s so much progress that needs to be made.
On a related note, there’s a Flare magazine cover making the rounds. The cover is from June 2011, but a brand new GIF reveals the photoshop used on Jennifer to make her hips look smaller, etc. You can see the GIF at Pajiba, and it’s a pretty damning indictment against the fashion industry.
Photos courtesy of ABC, Fame/Flynet & WENN
The more you make a word “taboo”, the more people will say it…especially kids at school. We do need to address the obesity problem, just in a less harsh way. Also, if we are going to ban the word “fat” we should also ban the word “skinny”. How many times have I heard the word “skinny b*tch” on tv? I mean really there are endless amounts of words we shouldn’t use, but in reality, nothing is really going to change. But I like Jennifer Lawrence, she is refreshing.
@idk
Things are changing. I’ll cling to that ’til the day I die.
” Also, if we are going to ban the word “fat” we should also ban the word “skinny”.
I was just thinking the same thing. Also I think Congress has a lot more important issues to deal with than banning the word fat and skinny from public use. I like JLaw but she is turning into Salma Hayek by constantly talking about body image. If this was Adele or Queen Latifah I could buy into it. Instead this is coming from JLaw, a women who is still considered much smaller than the average woman. Why is she harping on this so much, could it be that she really doesn’t have much else to talk about. I’m beginning to think she is the one who is obsessed with body image.
I actually think it’s a good think to see people of all different body types be passionate about this issue, because a lot of times people try to derail conversations about body-shaming with the “You’re just mad cuz you’re fat” argument.
Thank you! Are we then also going to ban every other descriptive word you can use? And are we then going to ban opinions? I’m sorry, JLaw, because I do think you’re cool, but you need to give this subject a rest now. You are not fat and yes, anyone who calls you fat is a complete idiot and no, perfectly healthy average people should not feel pressurized to look a certain way, but since this whole “fat shaming” thing got invented, the people I see complaining about being “fat shamed” are all horrifically obese and seem to think that any comment from anyone – even a medical professional – indicating that they should try to be healthier and lose some weight is “fat shaming” and they must immediately have their ruffled feathers soothed and be recognized as super-special snowflakes. Not going to happen – especially since I am currently in a country where my taxes go towards the socialized health-care that pays out far more for people like that due to their (entirely self-chosen) lard, beer and grease-based diets, and I see little kids in the street under the age of 10 who look ready to burst out of their clothes because their parents stuff them with sweets and other garbage 24/7.
Why didn’t she refuse to take part in that skit with Zach Galifianakis where she called him fat?
@Spooks: Meh, Internet-based, adult-themed “skit” is a different thing, no? Besides, ZG likely has final say over everything on BTF.
I know, I thought it was funny ( and I’m a former fatty). But if she’s so against it, than why did she participate?
^Maybe a touch of maturity crept in? I dunno. And BTF is not really to be taken seriously, is it?
The problem she’s talking about is not obesity. It’s a fact that women like Jennifer Lawrence are called fat in the media and Hollywood.
When was she called fat? Ever?
Well if they call JLaw fat I guess Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Sofia Vergara must be obese. No one is calling JLaw fat but Jlaw; if they did they are idiots. I really think she is obsessed with body image or not too bright. That’s all she realy talks about.
@Bubbles I’ve been asking myself the same question. It’s become almost a given that Jennifer keeps getting called fat, but when has this actually happened? Has she lost any work due to being ‘fat’? Even by Hollywood standards, she’s got pretty much a perfect body, and there are other actresses and celebs – such as Selma Hayek or the ladies mentioned above – who manage to get work without being stick thin. So I think this whole ‘Jennifer is called fat’ thing is mostly a PR line to make an Oscar winning actress with a great body and an income of $27 million a year seem somehow ‘relatable’.
What? This happened a lot after the first Hunger Games film got out. Were you living under a rock? She also stated that producer asked her to lose weight.
@Liv she still got the role though, didn’t she? And while I haven’t seen ‘The Hunger Games’, isn’t the character supposed to be very thin?
@Liv, people said she was too fat to play Katniss who was supposed to be starving, not fat. And people who said that were hard core fans, not the media.
@Bubbles Of course the media is calling women like her fat. Look at all the magazines which report every extra pound of her and other actresses.
@Ice Maiden I remember that a lot of people thought she’s to fat for the role – even on Celebitchy. Katniss is not supposed to be super skinny by the way, because she hunts and collects vegetables. Plus I believe her comment wasn’t about her Hunger Games casting.
When I saw hunger games my first thought was that she looked too healthy to be katniss. It Has nothing to do with fat vs skinny, it has to do with the character. It’s called acting. Matthew McCaunhy (sp.) lost weight to be in his latest movie Dallas Buyers Club. Renee Zellwegger gained weight to play Bridget Jones. Christian Bale lost a creepy amount of weight to be in The Machinest, Liam (or was it Chris) Helmsworth gained weight and bulked up to be in Thor. Maybe they asked her to lose weight so she would look like a semi starving girl who ate whatever she could kill that day. So to jLaw I say please enough about the damn weight. And oh, by the way, there is freedom of speech still….. So NO lets not regulate what people can and cannot say, it’s called an opinion and you are damn lucky to live in a country where you are (still) allowed to have one. I don’t have to like your opinion but you and Honey BooBoos mother and crazy fit Mama all get to have one….. Rant over, rolls eyes, moves on…..
After reading the headline, the first thing I thought of was her telling Galfianakis that he should be “off pudding.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhj9B2hymBw&feature=youtube_gdata_player
In some cases, it’s totally hilarious to call someone fat.
Regulating? You can’t regulate what people like Kelly Osborne and Joan Rivers spew from their mouths. Good luck with that.
We are pillorying fat shaming bullies in The Court of Public Opinion.
I’ve learned a thing or two myself when brought up short before the ‘bar’, and it’s caused me to get rid of some pretty unattractive attitudes. I think justifiable public disapproval works for a lot of people besides me.
Good for you!
I’m not down with regulating language, but I share her desire for a less mean spirited discourse.
“I just think it should be illegal to call somebody fat on TV.”
And I just think Ms. Lawrence is proof that celebrities aren’t always the sharpest knives in the drawer.
Some people ARE fat, Jennifer. Just as some people are thin, tall, short, red-haired etc. How on earth can you ban the mention of a very common physical characteristic?
yeah, but some people who are healthy weight, can still be called fat by someone, right? It can be subjective, just as calling people ugly. In TV programms, at least, they should use the term “overweight”, IF someone actually IS overweight. That is an objective and non offensive word.
But determining someone’s ‘healthy weight’ is impossible unless you’re a doctor who has examined them. Some people who seem ‘fat’ might actually have the perfect weight for them. There’s no easy way to know.
Plus, if we ban the use of the word ‘fat’, where do we stop? Some people, men especially, object to being called ‘short’? Should we ban that too? The whole idea is silly.
well, I sort of agree that the banning of the word is dumb…Using the word “fat” as a derogatory term is such a bad taste, but it must be personal responsibility. The biggest problem i guess is photoshopping in the ads and covers, which makes us shift our our perception of what is normal. Well, South Park has covered that topic already)
You bring up photoshopping. That cover of JLaw is totally photoshopped. Why doesn’t she insist on non shopped pics if she feels the need to make her “weight” front and center
Last week’s episode of South Park had a great indictment on the Photoshop culture.
or just prohibit photoshop of the covers, cuz that ‘s the sickest thing…
I know some people are tired of her talking about this, but I have to say I admire her for it. When I was in middle school, eating disorders and poor body image were really common with the girls, and their was fat-shaming with both sexes. A lot of preteen girls judge their bodies and others’ bodies based on how the media judges our bodies.
It would be nice if people didn’t body-shame in the media. It would be nice if lots of issues, like homophobia, slut-shaming, and racism- weren’t a problem in the media either. But sadly, people will always value ‘free speech’ over human beings. Some of the comments on the Duck Dynasty post are proof of that.
Are you serious? THIS is the same girl who condemns very thin girls for being thin. Body-shaming is bigger issue than just “fat” people. I guess when JLaw does it, it’s okay but when someone does it to her, it is not.
I just looked up her thin-shaming comment. I agree that all body-shaming is bad, and that it’s hypocritical to be for one but against the other. Thin-shaming isn’t the right way to fight this problem.
See: every single Kate Bosworth post. There is not one post about that girl that doesn’t include multiple comments about her “skeletal frame” and how she looks “awful and sick” and how she “needs to eat a sandwich”.
TheOrginalKitten: also several weeks ago posters were discussing Angelina Jolie weight
Skinny is not, and never will be equally an insult as fat. At least not in Hollywood.
@Bubbles-As someone who suffered from an ED for many years, I can tell you that ANY criticism of another woman’s body is harmful.
So if Bosworth suffers from an eating disorder (not saying she does, just that we don’t know for sure), commenting on her frame and size is not helpful. On the contrary-it’s extremely callous.
I could go into it further but I don’t feel like getting too personal about this issue. Bottom line: it’ s not a competition of which word is worse, a good general rule is to refrain from criticizing other women’s bodies, PERIOD.
+1000. Young girls need to hear her message.
I haven’t seen her ‘thin shaming’ comment, but everyone makes mistakes.
I can’t with this girl. Being called “Fat” should be banned?? with so many more important labels that effect people in the world.. You can lose weight.. But you can’t change your race, or sexual preference… Oh please!!
Perhaps you should read and comprehend the full context of what she said.
+1
“you can lose weight”… see? and THIS is exactly the problem…
She is sitting awkwardly in that chair. Stop slumping and learn how to sit in heels and skirts, girl!
that’s exactly what I thought! haha
Why should she?
Her skirt is way too short to sit in. She probably feels awkward about it.
While I completely understand Jennifer’s frustration and where she’s coming from, I sincerely hope she isn’t being literal when introducing the word “illegal” into the conversation.
I for one enjoy my First Amendment rights thankyouverymuch. And while I think our society as a whole really should cool it on the body shaming of women and men, I just really think the over zealous PC police don’t understand the negative ramifications of what trying to control-legally or otherwise-what people are and aren’t “allowed” to say will lead to.
Attempting to force political correctness on on members of an otherwise free, Democratic society is dangerous and a slippery slope. In essence what I’m saying is that I will not support a mob mentality no matter what the reasoning or justifications are behind it.
I really don’t think she means it literally, it’s a common expression. I say all the time I think you should need a license to become a parent. Do I mean I literally want that kind of government intrusion? Of course not. It’s just that it’s brutal to see the affect of bad parenting.
I like that she calls the media out while she’s in a position of power.
+1 Mia. You’ve perfectly captured what I was trying to say down thread.
@MIA4S: The reason I responded in the way I did is because not only did Jennifer use the word “illegal” in reference to what people should and should not be “allowed” to say on tv, she immediately followed it up with “I mean, if we’re regulating cigarettes and sex and cuss words, because of the effect they have on our younger generation, why aren’t we regulating things like calling people fat?”
So while yes, I know what you mean by your parents needing a license thing half being in jest, what Jennifer is saying here is very much not just in passing. At the very least she was overtly stating that at the very least she believes that speech (in the media) should be “regulated” in a literal, serious way in the Barbara interview.
I agree.
I agree with her idea that society as a whole needs to stop with the critiquing of women’s bodies…but the idea of legislating that is pretty silly. I think time would be better spent figuring out the root causes of why the female form is so highly scrutinized in current times.
Oh thank you PJ for stating so well what I was unable to. Yes, yes, we are on the precipice right now with the PC speak. We barely have freedom of speech right now and PC speak is nothing more than a beach head to full control.
Because there’s something called the 1st amendment to the constitution, dear.
This coming from someone who probably weighs 100 pounds and has never had children.. lol.. right.
That damn First Amendment is getting in the way, again. If only the government could regulate speech a little bit more then it would be so much better. Maybe we could imprison teenage boys for calling somebody names and commenting on their looks. That utopia is right around the corner, people!
Meanwhile, as we worry about their self-esteem, 12 year old obese girls are being diagnosed with diabetes and heart disease.
She’s getting on my last nerve, very quickly.
It’s not just the “fat” issue, though, is it? It’s all of the judgments about appearance: saggy boobs, crooked teeth, frizzy hair, bad skin, and on and on and on. I’m not sure that the answer is necessarily banning the word “fat” so much as focusing less on people’s appearances in general.
Exactly. We–as a society–rag on each other so much.
The funny thing is that during the first THG movie promo, she bashed skinny girls and talks about how she wants to look like a woman and not a 13 yo boy. THAT, my friend, is body-shaming. And she did it, it’s on print, I’m not lying, she did it.
That’s unfortunate. I imagine it might be hard for someone who works in a ‘you can never be too thin’ business and has been told she is too heavy to fully comprehend what it’s like to be on the other side. Hopefully she has matured a bit and has a better understanding now.
Something about her constant weight discussion doesn’t seem genuine. It just feels like a schtick.
This is how I’m starting to feel…
I agree — and she still continues to dig her hole deeper & deeper.
The only thing that would make me believe Jennifer is sincere in her ‘body image’ schtick would be if she tore up her lucrative Dior contract. As things stand, campaigning for a more realistic image of women is absurd while she gets paid big bucks to appear in heavily photoshopped, highly stylised advertisements for a major cosmetic and fashion company which promotes a very narrow image of female beauty.
Agreed! Jennifer don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk. When you are featured in a magazine stipulate that you are not allowed to be photoshopped; there, done.
I’m kind of really bored of her talking about this now. I mean, I really like her, but girl. We get it. Christ.
Saw the photo-shop GIF at Pajiba. How insane is that? She doesn’t need photo-shopping., for crying-out-loud. The fashion industry is out of control with their Frankenstein cut-and-paste of celebs.
Right?!? And to be honest, she looks better, sexier and more real before the photoshop. Her natural curves are beautiful, when you take them away she loses some of her natural sex appeal.
+1
Some people are fat. It’s a descriptive term. Treating it like a dirty word, being terribly insulted by it, that just reinforces the idea that being fat is bad, which does nothing to help people with body image issues. What we need to do is try to make it as benign as calling someone tall or short.
Perfect comment
I used to be in a class with a girl with my same name. The teacher started calling her “tall Tiffany” and I was just “Tiffany”. The girl had a meeting with the teacher and told her to stop calling her tall, as it was insulting. As a short person, I was very surprised to hear that, but after that I have been more aware of my descriptive terms.
I think some people are getting carried away here.
I didn’t get the feeling she was being literal, but rather using a strong word like “illegal” to convey just how much she dislikes the use of the word “fat” to insult, belittle and humiliate another.
And no, I don’t think she is referring to the use of”fat” in a descriptive way, but rather in an offensive manner.
I can’t decide if her smile reminds me of Vivien Leigh or Joe Francis.
You nailed it with the Joe Francis comparison! It’s the vacant, wide set eyes, I think.
The ‘real women have curves” thing is just as damaging to girls as the you have to be skinny thing. This is why the number of boob jobs and butt procedures has sky rocketed over the last few years.
Also, when people call someone fat they get blasted. If someone is teased for being skinny- no one says anything. Girls who are flat chested and have small butts are mocked. And those who are skinny are called anorexic. My younger cousin is naturally skinny and is as bullied for being thin as people used to be for being fat.
Diabetes, heart disease, and obesity are some of the biggest health problems today. Eating Disorders and body dysmorphia are also dangerous problems.
Both messages are harmful. The message should be eat healthy, exorcize and be happy. The word Salad should not be a horrible word, nor should someone feel guilty for eating a brownie from time to time. Eating healthy is very important to the brain and body. That is the message Jennifer and other celebs should be spreading.
Yeah, as a naturally bony person I wholeheartedly cosign this comment. A lot of times, I feel pretty insecure about not having as much curve to my body as my friends because guys may not like my “little-boy” body.
O cry me a river. It annoys the shit out of me when skinny girls say it equally hurts to be called be skinny as it hurts to be called fat. You are not told everyday by the media, by society that you are wrong, and ugly.And that you should be ashamed of yourself. You do not walk in stores and get judged by saleswomen. You just don’t. It’s not the same.
Bubbles, I really disagree with this: “You are not told everyday by the media, by society that you are wrong, and ugly”
That is not true. It might be your perception, but women without curves are told very frequently by society that it is a problem. It started in the 80s with a lot of breast augmentation and continues now with the size of a woman’s booty. The stereotypical ideal isn’t skinny all over, it is skinny in all areas but butt and boobs.
I hear what she’s saying but the remedy isn’t as easy as not being allowed to say something. Would doing that make the word ‘fat’ another f-word? Would fat people be allowed to use that term but not non-fat people because, you know, fat people will be taking back the word and ‘owning’ it, blah blah.
Apart from the constitutional issue which isn’t really relevant here because i don’t think she was meaning ‘illegal’ literally, more like a ban on the word from being said on television. But there are bans/guidelines on other words and they’re also irrelevant on cable.
It would be more helpful to society to ban photoshopping for anything other than blemish correction. I’m okay with them zapping that zit off her face but not 4 inches from her hips, whilst adding another 4 to the length of every limb.
I just came on to say that Barbara Walters must have gotten a two-for-one sale on Botox. Either that or she’s storing nuts in her cheeks. Ridiculous amount of “plumping”. 🙁
I think that Jennifer is rebelling against the Hollywood machine. She cut her hair which was a bit of a no-no, considering that her long hair was her best feature. She even said herself that people probably thought her chopping her hair was a “f-ck you” to them but that it really wasn’t. (Yeah, right!) She has a lot of older men in the industry slobbering all over her- Harvey Weinstein, David O. Russell… There’s been a lot of rumors concerning Harvey Weinstein and the casting couch in the past- Gretchen Mol, Gwyneth Paltrow, Blake Lively..
I agree that Jennifer needs to stop talking about body image but I think she’s really talking about her OWN life as opposed to the life of a typical woman. Once you step outside of Hollywood, there just isn’t the same amount of pressure on women. Lots of women have great careers that involve their brains whereas actresses rely on their bodies to get jobs..they have to look the part-thin, toned etc.
Rebelling against the machine by accepting roles in major blockbuster finances? Doing the rounds of the talk shows? Appearing on every other magazine cover? And if an actress cutting her hair is the sign of a rebel, then Natalie Portman and Anne Hathaway must be super-rebellious, which doesn’t sound right to me.
Anne Hathaway only cut her hair for her role in “Les Miserables”- she wanted the scene to look more realistic in the film and she got an Oscar so it paid off! Natalie Portman shaved her head for “V for Vendetta”. Jennifer just randomly cut her hair- that’s the difference.
Jennifer is getting millions of dollars for films-obviously she is not going to turn down that kind of money. Who would? She hasn’t been to college either so she has essentially nothing to fall back on career wise. I’ve read about sports stars like Andre Agassi who hated playing tennis but ended up playing it til the age of 39 because he had no academic qualifications..
Nothing to fall back on? The girl earned $27 million last year alone. She could easily keep herself – and her family – in great luxury for the rest of her life without ever having to work another day. If she wanted to rebel against the ‘Hollywood machine’ she could seek out low-profile – and obviously (relatively) low paying – roles in indie films or the theatre.But she won’t do that because she likes the Hollywood fame, prestige – and pay cheques. It’s not that I’m blaming her for that, I’m just saying that calling a Harvey Weinstein protege some sort of anti-Hollywood rebel is nonsense imho. It’s hard to think of someone more part of the Hollywood machine than Jennifer is.
“Rebel” is a stretch, but pushing boundaries slightly? Sure. Even suggesting regulation on entertainment is unusual for Hollywood.
It’s a shame how one man’s bad reputation is used to tarnish the reputations of young women merely by association. JLaw got her roles fair and square. Can’t see GP sleeping with the old coot to get hers, especially given her family connections. Blake seems to be a better friend of his wife, and she has never been in a Miramax production.
How exactly do you know that Jennifer got her roles fair and square? Are you with the girl 24/7, monitoring her every action??? Eh..thought not. There is such a thing as a casting couch in Hollywood so it’s not about sullying anyone’s reputation.. It’s just about saying “look- the business can be a bit seedy..actresses have been known to sleep with famous directors and producers to get parts!”
@S,
Because there is nothing to suggest otherwise. Why would I assume such an ugly thing about this young woman? Because Weinstein is a creep? Because some women have fallen for the casting couch? Not good enough reasons.
I’ve seen pictures of Harvey with what I believe was one of his girls before (they were on vacation in some out of the way country.) She was a relatively anonymous model/actress who had a small part in one of his movies.
She seems really uneducated and stupid no offence. “Ban people for calling other people for being fat”
Well, should be we ban people from call other people skinny then, we should ban people from calling someone ugly, beautiful, smart, stupid,etc. According to her, we should probably ban every single word then.
People on this site ridiculed Mr. Cumberbatch for saying he doesn’t like his fan-nickname and talked about the issues going on in India, but nobody ridcules this very stupid girl?
And another thing, if she is so against all those fashion companies photoshopping and make people feel bad about themselves, then why is she still the face of Dior? She likes her millions and having her face on a high fashion brand secretly probably. I guess the power of money and fame comes first for these stars.
As with most people in show biz, her education in other aspects of life is sorely lacking. Some people are fat; come and see me after the holidays are over, when I have to lie down to zip up my pants, and you can call me fat – I won’t argue. The last thing the world needs is more regulation. And I’ve had it up to here with political correctness. I’m for freedom of speak in it’s purest form – even offensive speech – as long as it’s only editorial, not slanderous, and not presented as objective fact. If she, or anyone, doesn’t like what someone says, make a cogent argument against it, and win people to your side, or ignore it.#lessregsmoreliberty
Sorry but I just find her so…average. Looks and personality wise. I admit she is a very good actress, but everyone cries over how awesome she is and how sincere she is and I’m the opposite.
I see her talking about being kind and accepting about everyone’s weight, which is true, but all I remember is her giving the interview making fun of Val Kilmers weight. Must only be the women who are included in your fight for acceptance huh Jen?
I love her acting, but I’m not buying her sincerity.
She seems so… fake. Her “aw shucks” thing and now this “fat” thing are annoying -not because its largely true, but because it feels like she uses this just to seem real AFTER she’s made the same type of comments. Her going against VK and not her fellow women is also a double standard.
Buuuut of course this won’t matter, since everybody and Jesus seems to kiss her butt nowadays.
What did she say about VK?
http://screencrush.com/jennifer-lawrence-obese/
Wow. Lawrence looked incredibly healthy and fit in ‘The Hunger Games.’ The actress responded to the critiques by saying:
“In Hollywood, I’m obese. I’m considered a fat actress. I’m Val Kilmer in that one picture on the beach.”
Sad part is, the article clearly shows the quote of her making fun of Val Kilmer being overweight, while praising her for standing up to Hollywoods standard of beauty. Completely overlooking that she made a rude, unnecessary comment about a male actor. Only women are self conscious about their bodies right??
This was the first hint I had of her insincerity and immaturity. I enjoy her acting, but not her.
Again, people were talking about her looking too healthy to be Katniss, a girl who had to kill her own protein sources…….
And the Val Kilmer comment was totally inappropriate. I am getting to the point of thinking go away JLaw…………. She should just be damn grateful for her 27million. She’s a good actress and a pretty girl, but there are dozens of good actresses and pretty girls, ones who complain less and grate the nerves less…
Been feeling like this for awhile. I like her and think she’s a good actress but I also think she’s over hyped and knows how to play the PR game really well. Girl is savvy which is not a bad thing but I can see through the Maybelline.
I like JLaw. I think she’s a bright, talented young woman who has made great choices in her career. The ‘make a law about it’ seems more than a little naive if not ignorant. I am all for making laws, but I say lets start with an Equal Rights Amendment for woman. I think her heart is in the right place and this does seem like something a woman in her early 20s would say. So I’ll give her a lot of slack on that.
I do think she is stuck in first gear on this topic. She has a chance to bring up bigger issues. She could turn any of these questions into a conversation about how women have no right to their own bodies in the media, how we are only allowed to take up so much space and as soon as we are not the ideal we are a target not just for cruelty but micro-aggressions and prejudice. She has an opportunity to make this conversation much bigger but she seems to be running the same track.
She doesn’t insist magazines NOT Photoshop her into a bizarre, impossible ideal. At least she could ask that the original images be posted online for any image Photoshopped. Does she have that kind of influence? She keeps running the same track because the response to her on this subject has been positive, it’s safe. I suspect if she made the topic bigger a lot of the good will the media has for her would start to shift. And I think that is the really sad part of this conversation.
Can she find something else for her whole “Please relate to me” act?
If you ban “fat”, you pretty much have to ban every possible physical characteristic in the English dictionary. Celebrity women are much more shamed for having no waist or being flat chested than for being “fat”. If you don’t have curves (read you’re overweight), you’re not a real woman according to the Internet.
“I get it, and, and I do it too, we all do it,” she told Walters.
So,in short, the media must take responsibility for the way they influence young people. A way to do that is to forbid the word fat in the media.
Maybe simply start by not doing it. And no, we don’t all do it. The primary influences on a kid are the people/adults actually talking/interacting with him. If these people refrain from using abusive terms, it will hugely improve the situation, better than a ban of a word in the media.
And it’s getting a little tiring that she acts like she has been abused for her weight.
Girl, try to watch what some comedians did on Elizabeth Taylor (the SNL bit where she was portrayed as a glutton) at the time. Your journey so far is a walk in the park.
We do not all do it. I have never in my life made a negative comment about someone’s appearance. I have been fat, I know how it feels.
In my experience, the media had an bigger impact. I was teased a bit in elementary school, but that was it. In high school no one ever mentioned my weight. Yet, I hated myself. Because, in the media, you are everyday bombarded with the fact that you can only be pretty if you are thin, that your body is wrong, that you should be ashamed of yourself. The media had a much bigger impact on me than people around me.
So I guess I and the people I know are different. The people I actually interact with and their actions matter more for me than those of a person who’ll never lay eyes on me.
And I feel the same about the ban of cuss words, cigarettes in the media for fear it will scar the poor youth. I spent my teen years watching pictures from the 40’s to the 70’s. Everybody drank, smoked, and I found extremely sexy the way Bacall or Bogart could lit a cig. Yet I don’t smoke.
I believe you teach youth by exemple and the media/entertainment industry is not where I gathered it.
Ban every offensive word/action from the media, I’m not convinced that it will stop kids from experiencing humiliation.Their entourage behaving with considerations for others is the 1st step imo.
I agree on the cussing and smoking. My grandma was babysitting me when I was little and she pretty much let me watch anything, including shows that were heavy on cussing. Yet, I don’t swear. But when it comes to body image, mine was mostly from the media, probably because I wasn’t bullied by the people around me. I think the blame lies in both media and our surroundings.
Funny thing is, the only reason I don’t smoke is because both of my parents do. I’ve seen them strugle with it, constantly trying to stop so I never even tried. Were they non-smokers, I probably would have because most of my friends smoke.
Has someone actually called her fat? I mean, she is the furthest thing from fat! I wouldn’t even call her voluptuous or full-figured. She’s young, slim, very toned, and healthy looking. If someone ever called her fat, they need their head examined.
Can we talk about that photoshopped to hell and back magazine cover? She looks like Rosie Huntington Whiteley on that cover! I’ve seen the before and afters and it’s not only her body they shopped but also her face! My god.
It’s extra obvious looking at it here and scrolling down to see her shopless next to Barb.
Really? Censorshing is the answer? I can’t help but disagree. With a rampant obesity epidemic in this country and fully two-thirds (and climbing) of people overweight, is the REAL problem that a very tiny fraction of people have eating disorders? Give me a break. As we devote more public resources toward subsidizing healthcare, we’re going to see the devastating financial effects of chronic, expensive conditions like type 2 diabetes, which is on the rise as we get fatter. I know this woman is exploting the insecurities of many of her female fans in order to enhance her public image and enrich herself, but I really wish she would emphasize good health instead of just telling people to feel good about themselves no matter how unhealthy they are. Emphasize health, not a dress size or a Photoshop ideal, but also emphasize health over fat acceptance. Oh, and here’s a newsflash: For as long as human society has existed, beauty ideals have existed. An “ideal” is typically unattainable. I can’t believe we’re such a society of narcissistic pansies that we have to sit around whining because we don’t fit an unattainable ideal. Just get healthy and shut up.
Didn’t Kim Kardashian try to pull off the outfit that JLaw’s wearing on that cover?
I will say one thing. I am tired of how over weight people are treated. Just because we don’t fit the Barbie size world, does not mean we are lazy or don’t care about our weight. Trust me we know were overweight. My daughter thought I was overreacting until I pointed it out to her. We were at a coffee shop, ordered the same drink but I was the one they asked did I wanted skim with no whipcream, but not my skinny daughter. I saw it in her eyes. She saw what we go through every time we go out.
what the…?? O.o
It feels like a schtick to me also. I agree w/previous posts that she nothing else to talk about and feels that she will be liked more if she acts insulted and hurt about something that that a group of people, albeit not her, really suffer from.
If it is a schtick, is she hurting anyone? Not that I can see. Her words have the potential to do good given her popularity with young girls.
I will say that she’s been very quick to point out when she’s been ‘shopped, ala the first Dior shoot. She won’t pretend otherwise. As for the Dior deal, fair point, but I suspect she won’t be reupping w/ them.
Look, I don’t like the literal remedy here, but if she wants to be a positive influence, good for her. And I think it was exaggeration anyhow.
The problem is not the word fat, the problem is the negative connotation that some people give to it.
for someone who “really doesn’t care they call me fat ” she cares way too much, does she? 🙂
She needs to find a new favorite interview topic.
Why are we so critical of the way women look, especially women in Hollywood, but we do not do the same to the men (at least not to the same extent). My son gets mad at me because I can’t stand the way the Meg character is treated on Family Guy. She is humiliated and belittled based on the way she looks. I think it teaches young girls that their value is all about how they look and nothing to do with the content of their character. It is too bad because the rest of the show is hilarious.
That being said, the reason people are allowed to call others fat is because we have free speech in the United States. Her argument that it should be outlawed is a bit ridiculous. I do like that she is bringing attention to the way women are treated in Hollywood, however. But, I think she should go at it a different way.
This has become utterly ridiculous.
On another note, why don’t you guys set your links to open in a new window? Most of the time I don’t bother to hit the back button when I’m done.
So according to her, calling someone talented and untalented should be banned too. If that’s the case, many people will be jailed or fined for calling the Karadshians untalented! Because they are.
You do realize that she was asked a question to which she answered. That’s what everybody asks her in every interview. Or about who’s a better kisser….
Also, I find it weird how some people say she shouldn’t talk about this because she’s not fat. Like only people of colour should be allowed to talk about racism or gays about prejudice against homosexuals etc. If a fat person would talk about this nobody listens or cares because it’s just a ‘fatty’ talking to make excuses for themselves, right.
Visit any gossip or film forum and you’ll tons of comments on her being fat. On this site too, even a commentator to this thread did it.
Yep! She didn’t write the questions. Sometimes the interviewer needs to be held accountable. Barbara has many years on her. I think JLaw generally acquits herself quite well. She’s fun, isn’t trying to stir sh#t up for the hell of it, and she doesn’t take herself too seriously. Her haircut is looking super cute, too.
exactly, the video shows that Barbara Walters (as every other interviewer) holds a gun on Jennifer´s head. She had no choice but answer these questions with such a crap.
Has anyone else noticed how thin Emma Watson has become? She was always slender, yes, but in her more recent movies like The Bling Ring, I couldn’t help but notice the fact that she looked emaciated. It made me sad, to be honest. 🙁
The First Amendment is the reason using the word “fat” is not against the law.
I agree with her on an emotional and human decency level, but restricting free speech is a slippery slope. I know yelling “fire” in a crowded theater when there is no fire can get someone thrown in jail on any number of charges, but there is a difference between that and expressing one’s opinion, even if that opinion is idiotic.
People are going to criticize and judge no matter how much you try to control it. People have to control that, not the law. The best thing she can do is continue to speak out about it, but don’t expect lawmakers to restrict free speech because some morons choose to abuse it.
She need to stop talking, and that gucci on the cover look really good.
It kind of annoys me that Jennifer Lawrence is always talking about how “fat” she is and how calling people fat is hurtful. Guess what, homegirl is skinny. She’s not anorexic, and good for her, but she is in no way fat. I am overweight, have been most of my life and I know what it’s like to be called fat and be discriminated against by kids at school because of my weight. Jennifer Lawrence knows no such pain. She gets called “fat” by people who are anorexic, that doesn’t make her fat.
She’s beginning to irritate the life out of me, I don’t whether its her i can’t stand or the over the top fawning over her as if she’s the most perfect thing.
I would be sorely disappointed if she wins all the awards (good chance she will, and I wouldn’t be surprised of she wins every year after this). I hope someone else wins for example june Squibb. Sad that Amy Adams, julianne Moore, Lauren linney have never won an Oscar but jennifer is on her way to two.
And Emmanuelle or a should’ve won this years oscars.
Actually, I found myself puzzled when she was cast as Katniss as well. I did read the books, and Katniss is described as someone who has survived at a subsistence level- almost feral- and JL is the picture of health. The fact she was able to make the viewer forget that w/o the physicality is a tribute to her. But sometimes a role does make physical demands.
I cannot imagine Dallas Buyer’s Club w/o Matthew M and Jared Leto so realistically portraying what AIDS did to a person, esp the wasting aspect. Folks who lost loved ones to AIDS in the 80s were sobbing at the show I went to. That being said, I hope neither’s health has any long term effects from that weight loss.
Does she have some sort of secret endorsement deal with McDonald’s?
Soooo hopefully she’s boyvotting the image that was photoshopped recently of her, right?
No? SHe’s still taking a pay day from it? Oh… well, screw ideology when money is involved!
Ban fat? Please. I’m super liberal, but this is PC to the extreme.
Why didn’t she say “ban body shaming” instead? Now all everyone is focused on is his you can’t ban people from calling others fat. Besides FAT is a descriptive word, which many fat people identify with (I prefer it to overweight which implies being below a specific weight range as normal- and it’s not really possible to apply to an entire population across the board). There is nothing wrong with calling someone fat, except when it’s said as an insult in order to shame someone. Why couldn’t Jlaw have pushed the media to stop body shaming celebs because it causes little girls to do it to each other? The discussion has been derailed now, going on about how futile it is to attempt to ban calling people fat on tv, And saying well it you ban fat then you must ban skinny. How about we ban body shaming, or cease tolerating it? That would be more effective.
Either way, I appreciate you Jlaw, I do wish you had taken a little more time in wording what you wanted to say so that commenters and the media could not twist it, but either way you are awesome!
Until words like “fat” and “skinny” etc. etc. become merely physical descriptors of a person rather than a value judgement on said person, I have to at least sympathize with what she’s trying to get across.
I can appreciate JenLaw’s sentiments and I especially applaud her for calling out the bullying–but yeah, this is pretty clearly kind of a schtick. The comments about not looking like a thirteen year old boy by being skinny , the Val Kilmer joke that someone posted , and the fact there is a photo of her dressed up a year or two ago as a FAT witch for a Halloween party (it was linked in an article on Jezebel)….Fat equals a funny costume to her? Her actions don’t match her words at all. But you know what? Even though it seems like a schtick, it’s a schtick that plenty of teenage girls will believe in so I’m good with it….And also, she’s 23 years old. I think a lot of people forget that a lot of us mature , change our minds, and become better people once we hit a point in our early 20s…She may be embarrassed about her Val Kilmer joke now, you know? Anyway, I think even if it’s a schtick it’s a beneficial one
Then everyone goes on to a DiCaprio post or a brad pitt to post to call them ugly and old.
Don’t say anything bad about women but men are fine because we have it easy.
Memo to all actors’ PR teams : There comes a point where we just don’t care anymore about what actor A, actress B etc have to say on these endless promotion tours. We get it that PR sells their new movie/promotional product. How many versions of the same interview do we have to endure?
Sometimes less is more.
PS your clients are actually not that interesting.
What is her real problem? She is always bringing up fat issues ,poop, laxtives and how she wants to eat. she must have weight issues herself. So she has to take laxtives to keep her shape and is bitter about it.
Looks like Barbara Walter got fillers and botox but I think she looks fabulous for her age.