Pretty Little Liars star Ashley Benson recently opened up about her weight and her experiences with body shaming in the film industry during an interview with Health magazine.
“I get told all the time to lose weight,” the 26-year-old revealed. “I got that a month ago. It’s just weird. With my stuff recently, it’s been, ‘You have to be skin and bones or you’re not getting it.'”
Just when we think the body positivity movement is getting us somewhere, it’s clear that Hollywood is still pushing impossible ideals of beauty on women. “It’s come up a few times in the last few years, like, ‘You’re too fat for this,'” she explained. “And I’m just sitting here like, Wait, what? Do you want a skeleton?'”
This definitely isn’t the actress’s first time being shamed for her weight, as she revealed to Ocean Drive magazine earlier this year that she had once been told she was too fat for a role.
“I’m a size 2!” she said in that interview. “I cried for 30 minutes, but then you have to let it roll of your shoulders or it could cause a serious eating disorder.”
Benson then explained her outlook on the situation and how people in the industry should avoid letting impossible beauty standards discourage them.
“I don’t want to lose 20 lbs because I don’t need to. I’m a size 2, but I think that a size 4 is healthy. I think that all of these sizes are healthy.”
It’s so disheartening to think that society considers a size 2 “too fat”—but we’re glad Ashley is choosing to love herself, and that she’s spreading the message of positivity.