Several months ago, Ginnifer Goodwin gave an interview where she described being on a diet since the age of 11. She was talking about body image and that kind of stuff, and she confessed that she was and is a Weight Watchers girl. She still counts points and does portion control. People got a little crazy with the quotes and began suggesting that Ginnifer had a horrible self-image and that it’s a bad signal to send to young girls, etc. Ginnifer defended herself at the time, and she spoke about it again in her Marie Claire cover story (joint with Kate Hudson). You can read the full Marie Claire piece here, and here are some quotes:
Ginnifer on her childhood weight: “I am genetically predisposed to be a bigger girl than I am. If I didn’t live in Hollywood, I would be. I have very real hips and a real Southern woman’s ass,” she says, munching on the slivers of turkey bacon that accompany her egg-white omelet. Her parents enrolled her in Weight Watchers, which meant she ran laps around the local mall and counted point values for everything she ate. Goodwin is still a devotee of the program, and with the help of her iPhone, she’s “apping points all day.”
Ginnifer on the criticism she received: Given her “awesome eating habits,” she was stunned when a recent magazine profile of her — and her commitment to Weight Watchers — inspired criticism that she had serious body issues. “I could not believe the twisting of that story,” she says, her thin voice rising. “I’ve never had body issues, and I’ve never had an eating disorder. Most of the people I know are on the program for health reasons. And yes, some of them are slim women who want to stay slim.”
Planning a family with fiancé Joey Kern: “I’m so ready. I want a life full of little Joeys,” she enthuses, oblivious to that heavy helping of schmaltz. (Hudson, on the other hand, playfully rolls her eyes as she hoovers through a bowl of berries.) “I’m only holding off until after my wedding for vanity purposes. I just want to be able to fit into whatever dress I pick out.”
Kate Hudson on her pregnancy weight gains: “Let me tell you something… It’s an emotional roller coaster, having to lose weight. I gained so much — I was 185 pounds at the end. You actually experience how much energy is stored in that and how much emotion you actually hold in that mass. It is emotional, no matter how determined you are. It takes work to bounce back so quickly.” Not this time around. Thanks to ferocious morning sickness, plus a decidedly figure-conscious mind-set, she’s gained just 11 pounds so far. “I was so sick the first trimester that every time I tried to read, I couldn’t concentrate. So I started brainlessly watching TV” — reality shows like Real Housewives, The Bachelor, and that paean to extreme weight loss, The Biggest Loser — “in the fetal position on my couch. It was brutal,” she says, shaking her head. “I only just started getting a bigger appetite. I’m eating,” she adds reassuringly, dismantling all those would-be Is Kate Starving Herself? headlines, “but I like healthy foods in this one.”
[From Marie Claire]
I like that Ginnifer talks about her weight and her diet program so openly. I’d much prefer her kind of openness and honesty than whatever Jennifer Lawrence was trying to sell us yesterday. Do I think Ginnifer has some kind of body image “issue”? Eh. I think she’s working in an industry where even the “quirky” supporting character actresses have to be a size zero. The “issue” is the industry, not Ginnifer.
Re: the “real Southern woman’s ass” comment. Eh. I’m a Southern lady, and my ass is big. I always blame my Indian genes though.
Photos courtesy of Marie Claire.
I’m glad she’s being truthful about her dieting also. Better than the other starlets who just lie about thier own dieting – “I’m born this way”. Rubbish when you see a picture of them weighing more before they hit it big in hollywood. Its sad that everyone has to have the shape of a 10 year old girl.
I think Ginnfer has one of the most interesting looks in Hollywood. She’s beautiful!
Gee I wonder if the first way to discover an eating disorder is to read a fashion magazine. Rather evil MC put that note on the cover.
…i never realized ass size was regional.
She’s just confessing that she needs to eat properly in order to stay slim. I don’t see body image issues or eating disorders.
She’s being honest, and different from many other celebrities who say that they don’t need to diet or exercise to stay slim.
i NEED that COAT!!!
so fetch. 😉
She is splendid
Kate has only gained 11 lbs!!!??? This is obviously a very old interview.
@Kazoo, here in the south we deep fry everything, and serve it with gravy. I know I’ve got a bit of an ass from it. The hubby likes it though 😉
As a long time Big Love devotee, I just adore Ginnifer. Also, I think it’s totally fine that she mentions she watches what she eats. I’m a short girl, genetically predisposed to put on weight easily, so yes, I too am thinking about the caloric value of what I eat more often then not. I don’t think I’m obsessive. I drink beer and eat grilled cheese sandwiches more often then I should, but the fact that I make an effort doesn’t mean that I have “bad body image”. Thank you Ginnifer.
LOVE HER!!!!
Love Ginn!!!
What a stupid comment. Is it implying that the hips from the Northerm women are not real. Of if you have a match shaped body (no hips and no waist) like Gisele you are not a real woman? All persons born with feminine genitalia are real woman regardless fatness or slimness.
There I went thinking I was Dutch all my life…I guess I must be a Southern woman by her reckoning.
Never had any body issues. Whatever. I guess if she were honest about it the media would latch onto it and say she had body dismorphia or something.
I haven’t seen Ginnifer(she’s too fancy to be Jennifer anymore?) in anything, but she leaves me kind of “meh”. Looks grumpy in most of the pics I’ve seen her in and like she’s trying to work the pixie look too hard. Am I alone in this?
I thought she meant real woman as in “real world” not Hollywood size -00. I am in the deep nasty dirty south and I was 255 pound due to our AMAZING food and the way it is cooked. At my biggest I never had a booty. 🙁 Now, a year after starting WW I am down 102.9 pounds and I am JUST starting to get a but because I run almost daily. I wish that when you where born in the south you got a but handed to you, it just isn’t so, some of us southern women are working hard to get a real but!
Mmm turkey bacon. It’s so delicious and I think it may have more salt than pork bacon? I don’t know, I love salt so when I’m eating turkey bacon I’m like, “mmm crispy turkey salt…mmmm.”
But good for her for being open and honest about having to watch what she eats in order to be a certain size. Some people can eat 20,000,000,000 cheeseburgers deep fried in mayo and look like never gain an ounce. Some people can eat one of those deep fried mayo cheeseburgers and gain weight. Most people have to either not eat too many of them OR modify them in order to eat them. So Ginnifer Goodwin seems to be normal. Awesome!
Also, my parents are southern and everything is real butter, real cream, real salt, real everything. Our whole family is super skinny though…but that may be because everything is so heavy that you can’t eat too much of it. ha
@ GradStudent – I’m southern (Californian), and my Mom’s used real butter since she started taking nutrition courses and writing a food column. (Mom’s an AMAZING cook!) I also use real butter, half-n-half, etc…because it tastes better; cooks better; and actually melts when you top something with it.
(And our HDL cholesterol is awesome; LDL cholesterol is very low.)
The real woman comment aside I think it was a nice interview. There are very few women who can eat all they want and stay very very slim (one of my best friends is that way) but let’s be honest most women in Hollywood work out and starve themselves and it annoys me when you hear them say “oh I never die”. Bullshit … atleast she is being honest and I think what she meant by the southern butt comment is that southern food is much more calorie rich than “northern” food from what I’ve seen
That cover photo of the two of them looks silly with the competing “sexy” look posing…and the color seems odd.
@LunaT – No you aren’t alone in this. I too think the pixie cut is overkill on her. I think she is an adorable girl and cute but with longer hair. And I would watch the Genifers, zooey deschanels and my personal favorite maggie gyllenhaals any day of the week over the boring kate hudson types.
I had no idea that real Southern women’s asses were bigger then anyone else’s.
Really like her and an a fan of Zooey Deschanel and Maggie gyllenhaal too. They are so lovely and interesting to look at. Kate Hudson – meh over-rated!
At least she does it a healthy way, instead of Red Bull and drugs or whatever so many other “starlets” do.
I think she’s very pretty.
Eight of the top ten states ranking by obesity rate are Southern states. So y’all might want to consider cutting her some slack on the Southern ass phenomenon.
Hot hot hot…. I would do her! I have been crushing since the beginning of Big Love
I’d like to see an actress admit that she has a big flabby belly and stretch marks – then I would applaud her for being honest about her body. It’s annoying when a famous gal “admits” to having whatever component of an hourglass figure – big hips, breasts, ass. Just shut up already. It’s transparent and insulting.
I can’t help it. I adore her. She’s beautiful in such a unique way, which I’m a real sucker for. I get bored with standard beauty, ie, the perfectly set eyeballs, the perfectly pinned ears, the perfectly whittled noses and the giant duck lips. I find it awesome when a woman can basically lack all the things that society “insists” that we all need, and still have such charisma/attitude and confidence. Her ears are so cute, and I love her hair. Mostly because it’s the type of hair that a hollywood stylist would try and get her to avoid because her ears aren’t “perfect” or some bullshit. People are beautiful the way they come.
/end rant.
I’m lusting after that white trench.
sounds like a Georgia peach! or a Mississippi mudpie! ……..
I love this girl! If you remember what she looked like in “Mona Lisa Smile” she was cast as the “dumpy, fat” character. At the time, she fit that description, but it was more her acting then her figure. All of us has to work at it, this is nothing new.
@Kazoo: Fried foods are pretty big in the South compared to other areas, so there tends to be a pretty big ass attached to that region.
As for the article, I found it a bit annoying that they made so much commentary between quotes and questions on what the two of them were eating. Sure, the first time is more of just giving the interview more of a setting. The second time also kind of, though it seemed like a bit of a jab at her when paired with “her ‘awesome eating habits'” and “oblivious to that heavy helping of schmaltz”.
I mean, there is no deep description of what she ate, but I think turkey bacon is generally cooked and prepared pretty healthily compared to just plain bacon – and her omelet was probably not too bad either – so to later refer to is as merely schmaltz (fat) just paints it in a bad tone.
But then, all this and then the description of Kate’s lessened eating along with how little she has gained from this pregnancy, as well as later referring to her as being figure conscious kind of makes Ginnifer out to look like a fat-ass and Kate look like a near anorexic pregnant woman.
It probably doesn’t help that this is not the article in its entirety, but if the section provided is completely taken from it in the same order and everything, I’m not too impressed by the writer’s style. Perhaps I am looking way too much into this (which is likely true), but the article just seems to have underlying implications.
I also can’t help but notice, and this I know I am going too far into, is that the cover shot makes Ginnifer look much larger and slims Kate down. Like, how the shirt and the shadow of Ginnifer’s jacket kind of make her look like she has a bit of a belly going, while it also cuts off part of Kate’s figure. Just found it a bit funny.
Atta girl Ginnifer! I admire her for following a sensible way to lose weight and keep it off. She looks fit and healthy, not scary skinny like alot of these Hollywood actresses. That look doesn’t look good on anyone.
I admit, I clicked on the story just to look at that hair again. I have a serious crush on her in that photo.
I’ve done WW and it is the single smartest, healthiest thing anyone can do, overweight or not. It should be taught in schools. You learn about the food you eat and how to balance the treats and your healthy veggies.
yes, I blame my indian genes too.. lmao!! darn chippewa!
@TQB WW is based on food made from chemicals. Not good. Eating a muffin thatbhas 100 calories and fills your emotiinal need for sugar is not good. I think the most important thing for health is to eat whole foods. No chemicals, no sugar. That’s how i overcame my emotional eating.
I honestly wish she would stfu. Who is she is? Why has she come out of the woodwork constantly talking about what she eats and how she looks? Annoying.
Most southern women that go at least 5 generations back have indian blood in them.