Since “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” has been released, there has been a newfound hype for the original series. However, it has also reignited the public’s seemingly unfounded hatred for the franchise’s leading actresses.
Rachel Zegler, who stars as Lucy Gray Baird in the prequel, became a breakout star when she got the role of Maria in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of “West Side Story.” She received critical acclaim for her performance and was thrusted into the spotlight at only 17-years-old.
However, as Zegler has grown in popularity, so has the public’s criticisms.
Zegler is set to play Snow White in Disney’s live-action adaptation of the 1937 classic. In an interview at Disney’s D23 Expo 2022, Zegler explained that the remake would diverge from the original. She said that the movie was “extremely dated” in its ideas about women and the roles of power they could be in.
“It’s no longer 1937,” she said. “We absolutely wrote a ‘Snow White’ that she’s not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.”
None of these criticisms are new, and many new movies have made strides to give princesses more agency and autonomy. Many of us grew up watching movies like “Princess and the Frog” and “Frozen,” where the female leads aren’t completely driven by their desire to fall in love.
However, Zegler’s comments sparked controversy on social media, with people believing that she was acting “condescending” about the original “Snow White,” calling her “ungrateful” that she had the role.
During the SAG-AFTRA strike in the summer, Zegler spoke up about why she is so passionate about striking, tying it to her experience filming “Snow White.”
“If I’m going to stand there 18 hours in a dress of an iconic Disney princess I deserve to be paid for every hour that it is streamed online,” she said.
Streaming residuals were a primary demand of the strike, with companies like Netflix and Disney+ offering low payments to actors whenever their work is streamed. However, people took this clip as an opportunity to call Zegler out for being “entitled” and “greedy.”
None of the criticisms Zegler has made of the industry are new ideas. However, she has been seeing harsh backlash for seemingly minor comments, leading to her turning off comments on her social medias.
With the recent release of “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” much the public has seemingly forgiven Zegler of her “wrongdoings” and has accepted her as a deserving and talented actress. However, there is still social media hate for Zegler that continues to linger.
However, this same trend played out over a decade earlier with the Jennifer Lawrence, who was the leading lady in “The Hunger Games” movies.
When Lawrence first starred as Katniss Everdeen in 2012, she was immediately beloved by viewers for being a “relatable celebrity.” She was goofy in interviews and she went viral for tripping on her dress after winning an Oscar.
However, around 2014, public opinion shifted. Her relaxed persona and quirky antics were labeled as “calculated” and engineered to go viral. People thought she was trying too hard to be the “cool girl” the world wanted her to be.
The double standards young women in the film industry face set them up for failure. Zegler and Lawrence are only two examples of young women being lambasted in the media.
Zegler and Lawrence, like their “Hunger Games” characters, share a lot in common. They are outspoken young women not afraid to use their voice, and instead of applauding them for it, the public’s instinct is to bring them down.
Given the innate themes of censorship and the downfalls of challenging authority in “The Hunger Games” franchise, it’s ironic that the two heroines of this series know all too well the real-life consequences for making your voice heard.