Here are some photos of Lily James and Richard Madden at last night’s Cinderella premiere in London. Lily’s Balenciaga gown is pretty, but… that button or whatever we’re calling it? It’s pretty epic. It looks like something the button-loving Duchess Kate would imagine during a fever dream. “I want half of my dress to just be one huge BUTTON!!!” Still, it is pretty. I like that the pale blue references the famous Cinderella gown.
As many people keep saying, Lily James is a small, slender girl. She’s naturally like that, I don’t think anyone doubts that. But many people have taken issue with the fact that Disney put Lily into a really, aggressively cinched corset for Cinderella. When people questioned the miniscule, corseted waist of Cinderella, Lily took it personally. Like, she was offended. Offended that people were like “Um, this film is aimed at very young girls and it promotes a really unrealistic body image.” Many of you said – and I agree – that this isn’t Lily’s fight and that she should just refer these questions to Disney. But while she was promoting the film in London, she got asked more questions about her waist and once again, she doesn’t “get” it.
Speaking at a press conference today at London’s Claridges Hotel, Lily James said about the waist controversy: “Why on earth are we focusing on something so irrelevant? I’ve had friends’ kids and a little boy called Daniel, whose nine, who said ‘it’s amazing how you promised your mum to be kind and good and you remembered it’ that’s the message.”
The film’s costume designer, Sandy Powell, then added, according to PA: “I don’t understand what the concerns are actually. Lily does have a small waist, but then so do all the other girls in the film, all the girls in the film wear corsets because that’s what you wear with period clothes – it creates the silhouettes. Lily’s dress in particular is an optical illusion, I have to say. The diameter of the skirt is about two metres and it has the width and that really does make the waist smaller than it actually is.”
If you read the full Express article, it sounds like Sandy Powell and a female producer jumped into the conversation really quickly, which leads me to believe that somewhere at Disney, they realize that Lily is somewhat incapable of answering these questions on her own. She takes it way too personally. And no, this conversation is not “irrelevant.” Moms want to take their daughters to a movie where the heroine doesn’t look like she has damaged her internal organs with a too-tight corset.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Yeah it’s not irrelevant. Just because you don’t want to talk about it doesn’t make it irrelevant. And her waist is mist certainly not that small. It was the size of her neck.
First – she’s wearing upholstery. Second. “the size of her neck”! lol!
Her waist size was distracting in a freak-show sort of way. Maybe it was her natural waist (which we all doubt) and maybe not, but either way it was distracting enough to become the main focus.
Will young girls want to starve themselves to get to these proportions. Yes. Is it because mainstream media handed them a pretty princess wearing a corset as a means to happiness? Partly. But I still believe that the kind of insecurity that buys into this stuff is primarily home-grown where girls see their mother looking into a mirror and proclaiming that part of her body is detestable.
You realize the story of Cinderella is fantasy, right? Why can’t we watch something and take the responsibility as parents to explain that to our children?
Yeah,but OZMOM, I would prefer not explaining to my kid that she’s not supposed to want to transform her waistline to the diameter of a pencil to be seen as the most beautiful of all at the ball. I was so lucky having had the actress Leslie Anne Warren as my live action Cinderella – she was a real young woman, brunette (not that it matters) and even though that was filmed in the 70s it seemed light years ahead of this barbie Cinderella version. Remembering Cinderella the whole thing was an anti bullying message – that being awful meangirls to someone else doesn’t pay and you will get payback (that was message no. 1) and 2) it was the Prince saying I don’t care where you come from or that you work in cinder ash all day it’s really not about your fancy clothes and carriage I love you for you, and 3) that beneath ashes and cinder is a beautiful person.
The whole point is that having a 17 inch waist to qualify to play Cinderella misses the point.
I’m sorry if I was the casting director and some actress walks in who’s a size double zero with a 19 inch waist that will get to 17 inches in the corset she MUST wear….I’m taking a pass on that actress even if it’s a young Meryl Streep.
Yeah, okay, so is the whole movie. You’re still promoting the sh*t out of it. And she doesn’t get to decide what’s relevant and what’s not. She’s attached to a Disney movie, that company has had issues with the portrayal of girls/women/minorities for decades and she’s surprised that this is something people want to talk about?
+1000. Can we move away from the Disney model already? Let’s create some great stories for women. So tired of the Cinderella remakes and reboots and the “women need men to rescue them” narratives.
that dress looks like a giant wallet
Can’t unsee the walletness now.
Lol, I was thinking clutch purse but it’s definitely more wallet like.
Yes, but it is a BEAUTIFUL giant wallet. I LOVE IT. She looks like a walking work of art.
It’s not irrelevant in the least when the film said waist appears in is strongly marketed at very young girls but hey, you do you Lily.
Relevant to what?
+10. I think she misunderstands the meaning of the word. Something isn’t irrelevent just because it’s the thing you don’t want to talk about!
The movie is marketed to young girls. Body image is an issue with many young girls. She portrays an unrealistic body image. Ergo, it’s relevant.
I”m guessing she means relevant to the Cinderella story? But I agree that it is a relevant to how the story is depicted.
The movie was cute but not that great and I don’t understand why it has so many rave reviews. And also the Frozen short that played before it was awful and I feel for any parents that will have to watch it a million times more.
Definitely not irrelevant. I feel a little bad for her that in her big moment, she’s forced to defend something that is not her decision, but she has not handled it very well.
I agree. It’s obvious she is taking it personally and I can’t say I wouldn’t if I were in her shoes. I think for her this is her big moment and she does not want to promote the movie talking about her waist size. I think it was good to have Sandy Powell jump in there as she designed the costumes and if no Disney exec is going to jump in there, then she is the next best thing.
I saw Cinderella, I thought the movie was really well done: acting, directing, costumes and effects.
I can’t be mad at her. I don’t think there has been a Disney Princess ever whose waist *wasn’t* more narrow than her face. Why would we expect them to make her more natural just because it is live action?
Should they? YES! A million times yes. But they aren’t—and Frozen merch is still making gazillions a day. Do I guess “we” are letting them get away with it. I am sure there are some parents that do boycott Disney–but I have to admit that I am not one of them. I took my daughter and niece to Frozen, and my daughter is obsessed…so I am helping to line Disney’s pockets. I try to balance it by focusing on being healthy, and making sure she knows she is smart, talented, funny AND beautiful just the way she is)
She would have done herself a favor if she just said “Oh yes, they cinched me into period-appropriate corsets and the contrast of that and the huge skirt on the gown made my waist look so much smaller than it is naturally” and left it at that.
That said, this isn’t her battle. She should not be personally responsible to answer for what Disney has been doing for 8 decades.
I saw the movie too, and her waist was DEFINITELY photoshopped…….it was even more obvious (to me), because her waist looked relatively normal (but corseted) in her non-ball gown (the infamous blue dress), but looked even tinier in the dress….
@Pamela, who wrote: “I can’t be mad at her. I don’t think there has been a Disney Princess ever whose waist *wasn’t* more narrow than her face. Why would we expect them to make her more natural just because it is live action?”
Yes, but surely you’re talking about the ‘animated’ Disney Princesses, which aren’t real … and little girls get that. Like plastic Barbie. There have only been a few nuts through time who have actually attempted to duplicate Barbie’s looks and waist, because the vast majority of little girls get that Barbie isn’t real and they can see that the real girls/women in her life don’t look like Barbie. But when girls see a live action Princess with a tiny, ‘CGI’ enhanced waist on a ‘real’ girl, they think it’s natural and possible. It encourages a false, unobtainable self-image in little girls.
She’ll always be Lady Rose from Downton to me..
Me too. I couldn’t stand Rose at first but she grew on me this last season.
Me too.
I saw the movie. Was just me that could barely recognize Hayley atwell who was painfully skinny in that movie?
Too bad she didn’t figure out it was “irrelevant” when they had her ass starving on a liquid diet. Bye, Wall Paper Paste, you’ve had your chance with me.
Her answer, especially when she veers off about some kid named Daniel, has me scratching my head and saying, “huh?” (also, for the rest of the day, I will be singing, “Daniel my brother you are older than me do you still feel the scars…”).
I googled her age to check if it could be possibley an excuse. Well, it’s not. Hope she won’t tell us to “discuss starving people and poverty” instead of “just a naturally small waist” next time.
Meh. Not irrelevant, especially when there is a huge discussion going on regarding body image. Isn’t there something going on in Paris where modeling agencies can be fined if they hire models with a BMI below a certain level? Wasn’t it just National Eating Disorders Awareness week at the end of February?
I would say this conversation, while maybe not one she wants to have, is one that really does need to be had. I don’t think she’s the target of the criticism, so much as Disney and the costume designers probably are, but it’s certainly a discussion to have, if nothing else, to make the viewers aware of how body image has changed over time and how it’s manipulated through costumes and the “magic of the movies.”
People should stop asking her about Disney’s decisions.
Also, I loved the movie…never once even thought about her waist…nor did I shield my 11 year old daughter’s eyes when said-waist was dancing and twirling in a gorgeous gown.
By the way, since this is a cartoon come-to-life, perhaps we should be thankful that her proportions weren’t much more unrealistic. Take a look at the cartoon versions of the Disney princesses’ dimensions.
I truly believe that this is only a serious issue to those to make a point of taking issue. (duck and cover)
Agreed. I can’t believe this is a thing.
You people need to take a chill pill.
It’s a Disney movie, the proportions are exaggerated at the bottom by the skirt and at the top = waist looks minuscule and she’s already thin. BIG.DEAL.
If you’re a parent and rely on movies to teach things to your kid, maybe you are doing it wrong.
We’re re-evaluating Victorian fashion, Kim’s using waist trainers, all the burlesque fashion is based on corsets that have the same end result in mind: a 50s style thin waist compared to the rest of the body.
It so happens that this girl is already thin, and it looks very small, but to say it’s a big deal and that the movie is wrong, is really ridiculous – give her a break.
Seriously, the more we evolve, the more we create impossible problems for ourselves, we love to create drama, as if we didn’t have bigger problems in the world.
AMEN.
I can’t believe this is still a thing. It’s a damn Disney movie. I have a daughter (and a son) and a MOVIE will not teach her self-worth – that’s my job. I don’t even think children notice these things for the most part. My son watches certain movies and he enjoys them, but at the end of the day he knows that they’re not real because I actually talk to him. It doesn’t matter that it’s live action (can a man and a dog have a conversation?)
WTF is “realistic” anyway? People are different, teach your children to love themselves the way THEY are.
Yes. Thank YOU!!! 🙂
I second this.
Yay! Finally voices of reason!
+100. I just would like to add also that I watched the movie in Chinese cinema last night. I think it is beautifully made. The palace is so grand, the blue gown is gorgeous. The chinese audience gasps with ooohhhs and wowsss during the first dance scene. My friend said she’s floating in that layers of fabrics. They even clapped after the dance whic is very rare for Chinese to react that way. I haven’t heard anyone here talking about the waist but they’re just talking of beautiful princess, beautiful dress and about a very good fairy tale for kids.
Of course this is a relevant discussion but how much more good could we do with letter writing campaigns, email chains, on line petitions and product boycotts than piling up on this underinformed female caught in the Disney cogs?
She’s taking it personal because she’s receiving millions of personal attacks. You guys always complain about social media, well, here’s an aspect of it in which it is just as hellish as you describe it. People are INCREDIBLY nasty when it comes to any mildly controversial matter, especially if it’s about a famous person they don’t know personally.
People in this forum are mostly adults, making civilized criticism not aimed at her as much as Disney. The other 95% of the internet are teens which are, well… not as nice or smart and, yes, they do think this is all Lily’s fault, because they roll like that.
She’s taking it personally because people are attacking her physical appearance… doesn’t feel better when the attack is bc too thin rather than too fat. Defensiveness is natural reaction. That said, she’s an actress and should be better trained re handling these sorts of questions.
I understand the concerns- I saw the movie and definitely side-eyed her waist in that dress. Its stupid and unnecessary to make her look like a cartoon. But its not like in the top 50 most offensive things disney has done. And at least they made a show of the stepsisters getting corseted up, so they werent hiding the effort.
One more thing – how many women were affected after watching Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins?
She wore a corset as well!
Um, in that time period? There were TONS of women starving themselves, eating chalk, and getting themselves hurt trying to copy that aesthetic. Also, it was the fifties. We have higher standards now. Your example is bad.
I grew up watching Disney movies (late 80s/90s), and I was obsessed with them, Mary Poppins included. Not once have I ever even noticed her waist, or Ariel’s, Cinderella’s or whomever.
That’s what you notice as an adult, when you are already paying attention to your figure, and compare yourself to others. The time I started thinking about diets was because of other girls’ remarks and magazines, surely not because of a film or a cartoon.
Women on women fat-shaming is the main issue here – and that’s what’s happening with this poor, naturally thin, girl.
I always noticed the hair on Disney’s heroines and princesses.
All she had to say was she’s an actor and doesn’t get to pick her costume. Why is this so difficult?
It’s not a huge deal. I think people are reacting more to her ~diet confession~ about not eating all day. But who raised a ruckus when Olivia Newton John had to be sewed into her leather costume at the end of Grease?
For all the Cinderella hype, I’m just glad Rob Stark is alive and well.
Am I the only one that doesn’t get the big deal about her?
It’s true that it’s absurd to impose modern standards on period clothes, and Cinderella dates I think from the 18th century. It’s also true that women and girls HAVE been emotionally brutalized by the fashions of nearly every era (including ours), which almost unanimously seem to be more accepting of any distortion of the female form rather than its natural one. I would hardly call today’s catwalk models any more inspiring of confidence in ordinary girls than Cinderella’s corseted waist (not to mention her recognizable value resting in having tinier feet than the other girls – in the midst of the furor over her waist everyone forgot about the feet!). Cinderella is a fairy tale and explores, more than issues of body image, common themes such as loss of parental protection and the struggle to maintain humanity in the face of ill treatment. I think it’s foolish to focus on the waist here because I don’t believe in rewriting classics – they are classics for a reason and they serve a cathartic purpose for many children. Corsets are stupid and oppressive; so are today’s anorexic “size zero” standards of beauty and the fact that we have to explore laws preventing girls under 18 from pursuing “designer vaginas”. Leave the classics alone and explain to your daughters that this IS a fairy tale from a long time ago – we don’t dress that way any longer. Leave the tale’s gestalt as it is and move on to create new stories if you wish.
Nicely said
Well said. The size of her waist isn’t all important. No reason to get hysterical or nasty. However, people should be allowed to discuss the ideals we give to our kids. Also, the movie, and Cinderella’s wardrobe and styling in it, is a public product, not a private issue. I don’t see how the way she’s made to look is irrelevant either. This is a press junket for a movie about a girl who solves all her problems by being so attractive and elegantly dressed a prince falls in love with her in a matter of minutes.
I thought it was funny she quoted a nine year old boy in her defense. He is much more likely to not subconsciously note the waist size and he definitely won’t give it a second thought when trying on clothes in front of a mirror.