Good lord, Robb Stark/Richard Madden is suddenly giving me Patrick Dempsey vibes! I think it’s the combination of the turtleneck, the hyper-groomed scruff and the hair cut. Yikes. Anyway, these are some photos of Richard and Lily James several days ago, at a screening of Cinderella and a subsequent Q&A session. Lily’s red and black dress is Dolce & Gabbana. It’s pretty but I’m not in love with it.
Anyway, Lily is still talking about the controversy regarding her Cinderella waist. I feel like we’re just talking around it at this point? And I don’t even believe anyone is criticizing Lily James or her body at all. She’s said that she’s got a naturally slim waist and we believe her. She’s said that she was doing a liquid diet to fit into the corsets for the film and we believe her. The problem is not HER, it’s Disney. The problem is that the production stills look Photoshopped to unnatural proportions. The problem is that no one at Disney stopped and considered the idea of “wait, do we really need to put this already-slim actress into a really ridiculous corset?” Anyway, Lily is still talking about the controversy. Via HuffPo:
Lily on the waist controversy: “On one hand, it’s upsetting. On the other hand, it’s just boring. Why do women always get pointed at for their bodies? And why is this whole thing happening that I’m constantly having to justify myself? International Women’s Day has just gone, and it just feels just a bit sad that it’s still happening. And, you know, I’m very healthy and I always have been.”
The design of the Cinderella dress: “It goes in at the waist and the skirt is big and full so that it accentuates the shape. I felt like a princess wearing it. Corsets are always hard to wear—they just are. That’s what they are.”
Richard Madden on Lily’s waist: “I can vouch for Lily on this. That’s her real waist. I held it. I know how tiny it was. And she did eat. She eats like a boy!”
Lily doesn’t think she should have to answer questions about her body: “Obviously I haven’t been under such a limelight before, but I really have been lucky because I’ve always had a very healthy attitude towards my body, so that’s why in a way it’s confusing me, because I don’t feel like [it’s an issue]…and it’s a costume! Yeah. That’s all I can say about that.”
Again… I’m not aware of anyone really bashing Lily or saying that she’s a terrible person because she wore a corset or because her waist looks Photoshopped. And I’m scratching at my head at what Lily seems to find offensive? Is she offended because people are saying she has a small waist or because we don’t believe it’s as crazy small as it looks in some production stills? Is she offended because we’re questioning Disney’s constant edification of hyper-slender women (in real life and cartoons)?
Photos courtesy of Disney, WENN & Fame/Flynet.
I miss Robb Stark
I do too. Richard Madden left the show when it was at it’s best though. Season 4 was underwhelming and I do not have good feelings about this new season
Really? Have you seen the new trailer that was just released?
Having read the books, I felt season 4 was the best. Viewing it even as a non-bookie, I think it holds up.
mimif That trailer made me come a little..including with happiness they are MOVING a lot of Characters along
Also I am super extra ashamed I got that Westeros encyclopedia cause i wanted to read about the Children of the forest and Brandon stark I and the Rains of Castamere
@mimif, yeah, I’ve seen the trailer. Let me get back to you in June after the season airs. Season 4 trailers looked good to me too.
It’s not that I care that this season will be their greatest departure from the books (it was bound to happen, given the writing pace of GRRM and the fact that the producers would like to be done in 7 seasons) , I was really underwhelmed with the story choices they made last season. I want to be wrong. I hope I enjoy season 5 more than I did 4 (my husband is a huge fan of the show and books, there is no way I can convince him to watch Mad Men instead…so I’ll be watching this too). I want to enjoy season 5 more than 4.
I saw him this morning on Kelly & Michael and boy is he charming! So cute and endearing! His Scottish brogue is awesome as well
He is endearing. I’ve seen his interviews and he’s the total package. *swoons*
And of coures he is not bashed for his stupit comment. I wonder why?
Why doesn’t she understand she’s in a Disney movie that LOTS of young girls will see and the proportions they are promoting are very unrealistic and that’s why people see it as an issue/are talking about it?
Actors are so dumb.
Stop blaming her for this. She is not the one making decisions, blame director, producers, ceo of Disney.
To be fair, though, she is trying to make people feel bad for their opinions on how females are portrayed in a film for CHILDREN.
I don’t agree with criticism aimed at her or her body, but I do agree with criticism aimed at Disney for how they present female characters for very young audiences. She seems to be dismissing all of it as only a personal attack, which isn’t accurate. She is in a hard place because of her employer, but anyone trying to quite the conversation around these issues isn’t working for the greater good.
I blame her for not understanding the issue. It isn’t her fault and it isn’t her issue to defend. However, she can easily deflect it. I thought she did fine at first and explaining the cut of the dress helps. But to not understand the issue is on her.
Maybe she should keep her mouth closed about decisions she didn’t make then. Her brainless comments don’t help at all.
I don’t think anyone is blaming her, she has taken it personally and tried to deflect it as a non-issue when maybe she should have said “Ya know, maybe this image put out by Disney is a tad unattainable/unrealistic”. But, “cough” girl wants her paycheck. She’s naturally slim, which no one is saying anything bad about, but the corset gave her Scarlett O’Hara proportions, and then they photoshopped her to high heaven. A bridge too far imo for a film aimed at young girls.
I really don’t feel like she trying to make people feel bad for their opinions on this. The questions should be aimed at Disney execs. Not her. Talk to the designer of the gown. I think she is frustrated with the question. Maybe she’s not expressing herself eloquently but I don’t think she expected that this was going to come up when she was promoting the movie in her head (she probably did not give a second thought to the pictures). Now Disney PR folk probably could have prepared her better to respond but she’s not in the position to call the company out either. This is her first big role and if she does that, it’s not going to look good for her future employment.
I think she is trying to shame people here:
“Why do women always get pointed at for their bodies? And why is this whole thing happening that I’m constantly having to justify myself? International Women’s Day has just gone, and it just feels just a bit sad that it’s still happening.”
She is equating people questioning Disney’s unrealistic standards with body shaming.
@Leaveheralone – I’m not blaming her for anything, nor did I say she was to be blamed for her costume. She is asking a question – “Why is this whole thing happening?” She should understand it’s “happening” (the discussion about how her waist looks) because the movie is geared for young girls and adults don’t think such unrealistic proportions are healthy for young girls to see in a movie geared towards them. THAT’S why it’s “happening” aka people talking about it.
Even here in our comments nobody has gone down the “eat a sandwich” route (that I remember). It’s for sure a Disney problem and not a Lily problem. If anything we’re defending her! As in Disney, how was this beautiful young woman’s figure not good enough?
Exactly. I have to wonder if she ever felt the same way as they were strapping her into the corset – aren’t I thin enough?
I feel bad if she’s taking this personally, it has nothing to do with her and everything to do with Disney and the business in general trying to force unrealistic expectations on women.
The people who comment on this forum are, as far as I know, mostly rather well-educated adults. People like this make 5% of the internet. The rest of them make racist/sexist/etc attacks for nothing, send death threats, and display completely irrational behavior overall.
Believe me – she’s got plenty of sh*t and a sizeable number of people are judging HER. When it comes to comments the internet makes about celebs always assume the very worst.
If you look at the red carpet photos she looks healthy and slim, not overly skinny. It really is a disney problem. I feel for Lily being stuck in have middle. She did as she was asked for a role and she’s taking heat for it. Men are never bashed for their body changes for movies no matter how drastic. In fact, most of them are praised for it.
Not necessarily. See Matthew McConnaghey in Dallas Buyer’s Club. But he was so skinny he was literally going blind, so that was pretty extreme.
She really doesn’t see why it might be important to point out that an unrealistically thin waist could be damaging to girls? Jesus, she is dumb. I hope this movie flops and this is the end of her.
And don’t try to co-op the “body positivity” narrative when you are promoting anything but.
Hmm , so you want blockbuster with female lead to flop just because newcomer actress doesn’t preach HAES. How feminist of you.
I’m not going to support a female led-movie just for the sake of supporting some woman. That’s not what feminism is, so fail on your part. Kindly sit down with your C- in Women’s Studies 101 logic and let the smart people talk.
Thanks.
I don’t comment here a lot, but I like reading the comments here because people are normally very respectful to other’s opinions. That being said, calm down Kaley.
GMAB people are criticizing the way she looks so of course she is defensive.As for unrealistic images, every image is unrealistic.They are all photoshopped.
Yes so let’s not try to change the status quo! So glad there are people like you out there, God this world is f*cked.
Honestly, as somebody who had an eating disorder for 10 years I just don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel, your sad world view is just too common.
So these
http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100303001726/disney/images/1/13/Cinderella_(Dressed).png
http://www.tripletsandus.com/disney/Cinderella/jpg/Cinderella-Blue-Dress-3.jpg
are what the wardobe was trying to achieve. True to the animated Cinderella. That waist is not something that looks safe on a human. It was also from another time.
And did her waist get smaller here?
http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view4/1916210/cinderella-dress-o.gif
yeah, i find it odd she doesn’t see how people can find the tiny cinched waist creepy. And fairy tales are aimed at kids, with Cinderella towards young girls. Yes Lily James is slim, yes she probably has a naturally small waist, but she herself said when corseted, she couldn’t eat solids; that itself should tell her the corset was too tight and would make her waist look even smaller, the teeny waist being what people are reacting towards. You’d think she’d look beyond just herself and understand people’s reaction to the appearance of the extreme cinched waist in a movie geared towards girls, teens, young women.
The movie will not flop; Frozen Fever is attached to the front.
oops wrong person, sorry!
“She really doesn’t see why it might be important to point out that an unrealistically thin waist could be damaging to girls? Jesus, she is dumb.”
I agree that it’s unfortunate that she doesn’t realize that, but I don’t think it makes her “dumb”, maybe ignorant and defensive. And I say that as someone who’s dealt with body issues all my life. Attacking her won’t help, and it’s not like what she said doesn’t have truth in it.
” I hope this movie flops and this is the end of her.”
Wow, you’re nice and smart! RME.
Is it “bashing” to say that this chick annoys the sh*t out of me?
Never paid attention to her bfore this. She seems really annoying.
And it’s not body bashing so you’re good!
Yes
her reaction here annoys me.
Well you’re clearly not a feminist if you DON’T SUPPORT THIS WOMAN!!!
And “she eats like a boy”???? WHAT? Robb, sit the eff down. How is that still a thing? If she were overweight, he would never say that because it’s only cool to say a woman has a “manly” quality if she is still very girly as well.
Also, we’re pointing at her body because it’s not actually her body. If she has a naturally slim waist, there was no need for a crazy corset, a liquid diet during filming, and Photoshop. We’re pointing at a slim waist that wasn’t slim enough for Disney and had to be cinched to the point of ridiculousness. Why is she not offended that her natural waist was apparently not slim enough?
I’m so annoyed at her, I hope this promo crap is over soon. Doesn’t Disney have better PR people btw?
Agree completely.
And Maybe Disney does have better PR people, but they are also annoyed with her and this is passive aggressive behavior by not helping her. The movie will do well no matter what.
She “eats like a boy”?? gah….
I know, ugh!
You know nothing Rob Stark!
Ha!
I eat like a boy. Why are you scoffing? You’re only perpetuating the very thing we are all upset about. Stop judging people for their bodies and eating habits. Slim people don’t always work out obsessively or eat like birds. Sometimes we are just thin. Body shaming, even if people are skinny, is still body shaming.
I was scoffing at Rob Stark/whatever his name is’s description, the “eats like a boy” is like the “runs like a girl” stereotype- ie. implies she couldn’t eat “like a girl” and have a normal appetite…that’s what I thought we were talking about anyway, not whether or not she eats a lot.
It’s normal for a young-ish girl to have a slim waist, but then they went overboard to accentuate the dramatic hip-waist ratio with dieting and a corset. Just her normal youthful figure would have been a sufficiently attractive look (and still more slender than an average woman). I don’t blame this actress (who I’ve never previously heard of) for a decision I’m sure she had no say in (producers don’t hire starlets for their opinions) but it’s fair for us to discuss the issue. Why not just use a sash around her already slender waist to accentuate her curves, you know?
She is being asked about it during every interview she does, so I think she is tired of the question and as someone said on here, the question should be lobbied at Disney execs not her. However Disney execs are not out promoting the movie, she is, therefore the constant questions.
They really did put her in a terrible position. At this point, if Disney doesn’t want her to keep saying slightly dumb things about it, they need to release their own statement or new promotional material.
She’s not great at adddressing this on her own. Why Disney didn’t give her some tips on how to respond seems odd.
Simply saying “we were trying to stay true to the original dress design, sorry we fucked up” could have helped.
I wonder why the disney people haven’t helped her with the responses, along with her rep & agent. Help her understand it’s not a criticism on her body, but the way the movie presents such an extreme look in the tight corset and maybe photoshop in a fairy tale aimed at girls. Then again if disney green lit the tiny waist in the movie, they likely don’t get it either. But her reps and agent? Someone related to her or the movie has to. I’m surprised she doesn’t get it on her own, but since she doesn’t people around her should be helping her.
I want to see this movie because reviews said that Blanchett is fantastic
I can sort of see how she could interpret the criticism of Disney as targeting her. I think she probably just feels bad and is on the defensive. Yes, it’s Disney’s problem, but it’s still her body being talked about.
But she can’t openly criticise Disney, her career depends from success of this movie.
I think she thinks they’re talking about her body. In truth it’s more directed at the wardrobe and what looks like photoshop. She keeps redirecting it to her body, but we’re still all talking about the image and the need for a corset. She’s missed the point entirely.
If that 1st photo is to be believed without edit she’s shifted some organs.
Eh, but we actually are talking about her body, aren’t we? About the corset ON her body and whether or not her waist is actually that tiny. Certainly that’s not the same as criticizing her body, but I can see how the conversation would be uncomfortable for her.
I get that. She feels it is about her body. Where I take issue is how she takes it personally and defends like it is an attack on her. Not the corset. Not the diet. Not the image taken in by young children seeing this. And not the clear photoshop on the stills for her waistline. She takes all of that aside and makes it about her unchanged waistline.
There are just better ways to address the question and it’s odd she doesn’t take those routes.
Her hand looks bigger than her entire waist on that still. Is she being intentionally obtuse?
I kind of don’t understand some of these comments. I mean, I think it’s understandable if she finds this whole controversy frustrating, because essentially, it’s still about her body. Her waist is in the spotlight, and while Disney is to blame (if it’s photoshopped), I’m not surprised that she might take offence. And anyway, those questions should not be directed at Disney, not her.
Y’all are too hard on her. “Dumb”, really? Wow ok.
Finally some sane comment.
I completely agree. And there must be an even bigger level of frustration for her if it was not photoshopped.
I understand the comments. So far she’s unable to look at it beyond it just being her body.
She’s in a movie where disney has her present such an extreme look whether it’s only from the corset or also through photoshop. it’s not a realistic representation for girls today. Yes women back in the days wore corsets, however, they fainted a lot and it pose an issue with eating and breathing normally. Cinderella, though a fairytale, had to do all the chores in the home and someone wearing a tight corset would not have been able to scrub floors, scrub the laundry, hang laundry, pick up heavy loads of items be they dishes or other things. Does the original animation have her with a tiny waist? Sure. But it’s a cartoon.
It’s too bad she’s unable to see the criticism as what they are; at the way disney has her appear with an unrealistic waist in the movie. In the previous interview, she even said she would not eat solids wearing the corset. That itself should have told her the corset was too tight and thus making her waist even smaller. Even unrealistically tiny. So tiny people are creeped out by it and criticize the look in the movie. I’m taken aback she’s not able to see that point of view and only takes it as criticism towards her.
I think she thinks people are indirectly calling her fat. I can find no other explanation to her ridiculous comments about how tiny she actually is and how she was wearing a corset and is actually that small. Honey you had to starve yourself to fit in that corset and frankly your body is a rectangle, that squeezed lemon form is not your natural shape. People are defending you.
I think she’s upset because everyone is talking about and asking her questions about her body. Why would that NOT be upsetting? How is it in any way productive to criticize somebody for feeling uncomfortable?
Also, I really think you misconstrued the “liquid diet” thing. It sounds like the corset was so tight she had trouble eating while in it, not like she went on a crash diet to fit into it. Maybe it’s splitting hairs, but I think it’s an important distinction.
It’s totally irresponsible of Disney to portray such an unhealthy and not average body image to young girls. I feel like its a step backwards. They may as well have had some dark-skinned servants in the movie as well. Why not embrace all the negative tropes we have going on today?
I’m just amused that the pictures accompanying this post have her in a shapeless sack of a dress that does not show the much-discussed waist AT ALL.
“Why do women always get pointed at for their bodies? And why is this whole thing happening that I’m constantly having to justify myself?”
Dear Lilly,
unfortunately womens’ bodies seem to be a major social and political topic. If society can rule womens’ bodies then they can rule women and tell them what to do and what to eat and whom to fat-shame.
Unfortunately your Cinderella outfit just played into the hands of those forces who want to rule women the way I described above. That Cinderella outfit simply established a ridiculously small waistline which hardly any woman could achieve without constraining corsets and starvation.
You don’t seem to have a problem with the above fact. So please educate yourself about the reasoning behind the bra-burning feminist of the last century.
“That Cinderella outfit simply established a ridiculously small waistline which hardly any woman could achieve without constraining corsets and starvation.”
But her character was actually starved in the movie.
please let it go, she’s not going method for cinderella.
It’s disingenuous to suggest the tiny waist is in any way “authentic” because she was starved. Because starvation also gives you crap hair and skin to go with the skinnier body, and we’re not seeing that anywhere on these posters or in the movie, are we?
the corseted waist made the look extreme and creepy. If she couldn’t eat solids while wearing it, the director/costume/whomever should not have had her cinched up so tight.
I’m somewhat familiar with her from Downton. She is very slender. If you look at other photos of her it’s easy to see that slim as she is, she has been corseted and costumed for the role of Cinderella. That wasn’t her call to make. Obviously, as a relative newcomer she isn’t in a position to make demands. So is it get fault that her waist is getting so much attention? No. She has no control over what is already out there. Should she have been better prepared with a pat answer to the questions and brouhaha? Yes, her response to this issue is ultimately on her.
it is a larger problem in the disney universe and she is having to speak to it repeatedly. she might not have fleshed out her responses well but i tend to believe she is trying to do so gracefully. if she takes a crap on disney doing promo for her first big feature film – she will not be in a 2nd feature film for any studio. i think disney is totally hanging her out to dry by not issuing a statement or having their PR ask the press to lay off the issue in interviews. they have that power but have left it up to the cast, who are inexperienced in this level of promo, to scramble for an answer. notice cate blanchett or HBC have barely done press for this movie so its up to the n00bs. hence robb stark’s comment “she eats like a boy!” that sounds dumb but he is coming to her defense to possibly end the line of questioning.
This. She’s not going to publicly criticize Disney. Cate Blanchett has gone on talk shows (Jimmy Kimmel and Ellen) but she’s not done the press Lily and Richard has. His defense of her was clumsy but I really do believe as you said, he was trying to defend her and attempting to end the questioning to move on to something else. He could have probably said, I danced with her frequently to film our dancing scenes for the movie and I can tell you that is her waist, and stopped right there.
I fully agree.
Poor girl, I honestly feel sorry for her. Why people don’t lay their blame on Kenneth Branagh, probably because he has d*ck.
I am sorry to keep posting on this thread, I am neglecting other stuff…yikes. I am looking forward to the movie. I agree with you, I do feel sorry for her. It just seems like she is darned if she does and darned if she doesn’t. How the dress was designed, how they handled her pictures, the decision whether or not to wear a corset were not her decisions.
Reach for some Douche & Go Bananas….
It’s a bit strange for Richard Madden to defend her by saying she “eats like a boy,” when she already admitted she could basically only eat soup while filming. While I disagree with pretty much everything she is saying, I feel a bit bad for her because It seems like the Disney execs just left her out to dry with this whole thing.
Consider also that in the particular still linked in this article, her body angle is also making her proportions look more unrealistic.
The way her back is arched and tilted sideways means we are seeing the entire breadth of her shoulders, but more of a side view of her waist. The poofy skirt disguises this pose, and means that you cannot see the difference in angle of perception from the breadth of her shoulders to her waist. It is the visual effect of seeing something from straight on (her shoulders) and something side on (her waist) that results in a more shocking juxtaposition between shoulders and waist (you cannot actually discern her waist-hip definition as it is hidden by the skirt).
Furthermore, yes, her comments are pandering a bit to the Disney machine (which is understandable, partly because of gender inequality, related to the dispensable nature of young, pretty starlets in Hollywood), and she doesn’t seem to be taking into account her potential as a body role model. However, the way I understand it, she seems to be questioning the entire obsession with a female’s form, to the extent that again, her work and the project she has worked on, will be remembered only because of her body. I think she feels uncomfortable with the level of scrutiny she is under, and that she cannot truly control her behavior because any bad role modelling is her employer’s fault by instigating the costuming choices, choice of photos and potential photoshopping that have put her in this position. Therefore, she feels that by focusing on her, detractors of the photos are criticizing her body, which is the only part of these photos she truly has control over.
What’s offensive about this movie is that Disney didn’t think a very skinny actress was skinny ENOUGH, so they had to stuff her into a too-tight corset and photoshop her waist in promo pics. I’ve said it before, it’s similar to the way Ralph Lauren photoshopped a very skinny model into a praying mantis — because praying mantis are more attractive than very skinny women who are not skinny enough. Disney must think that women who are very slender like this actress are still not attractive ENOUGH which required them to photoshop her body.
It’s really shows a hatred of women when the only woman who is good enough is one that is not even real.
Ppl have forgotten how different a real corset can make a waist. If anything, parents should explain kids that it’s a corset, it’s not a diet and how the corset affects human body. And yes, corsets are not pleasure to wear for a someone who’s trying them on the first times, especially if they are laced too tightly. Good luck trying to get that tiny waist even with corset, if one has never wore a real corset before. One will be puking one’s guts out in a few seconds.
She clearly feels attacked, and anyone who thinks a new actress is in a position to criticize her employer is very ignorant.
So where is the push to reach out to the poor girl? And not blame her for Disney’s actions?
She clearly feels attacked, and for something that is not her fault.
And wow at wearing a corset so tight the poor girl couldn’t eat. That was definitely a Disney thing.
I own a corset myself, for some reason it helps my chronic back pain (from scoliosis), and when laced properly it is quite comfortable.
She was on David Letterman last night; and I think she was stoned to the bone. She forgot, mid-story; what she was talking about, kept giggling and acting awfully strange. And she kept sipping her water, wiggling around – even Letterman was uncomfortable. Perhaps it was nerves, but I don’t see her having nerves – so.
It seems like she (and others?) are acting like it’s okay that her body had to be modified to fit the dress instead of vice versa.
She says, “Corsets are always hard to wear—they just are. That’s what they are.”
So, um, … what??!?!?
Never mind the photoshop, this is what I find really unsettling and disturbing: “She’s said that she was doing a liquid diet to fit into the corsets for the film”
So first it’s “I’m naturally this slim” and then it’s “but I still had to stop eating in order to fit into this corset”
WTF!!!
That was totally mis-quoted. What she said was that the corsets were so tight, she could only drink liquids while wearing them. She never once said she went on a liquid diet to fit into them.
Granger – thank you for clarifying that. That’s exactly what she said – she couldn’t eat anything while IN the corset. She was burping in her costars face when she tried to so only stuck to fluids while in it.
Her response is laughable. She’s staring in a misogynistic fairy tale about women fighting and hurting each other to marry a prince. How is that promoting anything positive for girls? Even worse, the costumes promote unrealistic and unhealthy eating. She admits she went on a liquid diet to look like that. It’s incredibly disturbing all around. Now, she’s making herself into the victim by saying the criticism is anti-female (not in the spirit of Women’s day)? Unbelieveable. It’s just the opposite. We’ve had these backwards anti-female stereotypes and inages around forever and people are tired of them.
Moreover, you are an adult and you picked to do that film, and said yes to the costumes. No lame, poor me, I couldn’t say no, excuses. It’s also clear that the people at Disney are out of touch and disgusting for promoting this bs to young girls. I hope the movie tanks so we don’t get more of this. But I doubt it.
i saw a trailer for the movie a few minutes ago on tv and they didn’t show the tiny waist.
I understand thta she feels upset, specially because she just can’t criticize the one who gives a main role. But… if she can’t understand the whole context, I’d have to say she’s pretty dumb.
I get why she’s offended – I’m sure it’s because she KEEPS being asked about it. That would get frustrating for any actress who would prefer to talk about the movie, her work, etc. She’s been asked about it, answered the question a lot (just based on the articles posted here alone), and now would like to stop being asked the same question. I think that’s all she’s saying.