If Jennifer Lawrence is the new “curvy” then there’s not much hope for the rest of us who wear something larger than a medium.
With a refreshing personality, Oscar worthy acting ability, and necessary commentary on Hollywood’s ridiculous beauty standards, Lawrence is a spunky representative of our generation. And while our fingers are crossed for her pulling a Best Supporting Actress win for American Hustle on March 2nd, we find Lawrence’s commentary on body image not quite as rewarding.
She does not hesitate to discuss her own body in relation to Hollywood’s smaller-than-average standards, even going so far as to call herself “obese.” Lawrence even declared in a recent interview that it “should be illegal to call somebody fat on TV.” But the young actress is far from obese, overweight, or even chubby. And for her to make proclamations about loving McDonald’s fries, or having Dorito dust on her dress does make us common folk feel pretty good…until we realize Lawrence’s body still fits into the confines of Hollywood’s standards.
Lawrence also frequently claims that she will never lose weight to fill a role, an honorable statement that does in many ways promote a healthier Hollywood. Lawrence shines light on the dark underbelly of what actors do to be “truthful” to their characters, whether it is quickly gaining or losing weight. Lawrence received criticism for not looking “starved” enough as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, while her male co-stars received no disapproval for their muscular frames. These rapid changes (aka yo-yoing) are harmful to the actors and skew our perceptions of proper weight loss strategies.
Being proud of not dieting and choosing to eat any food she wants—whether healthy or not—while still maintaining a healthy weight is the prominent reason Lawrence does not receive societal backlash. Actresses outside of Hollywood’s approved body shape and size constraints (most notably comedy powerhouses Rebel Wilson and Melissa McCarthy) find themselves apologizing for their weight, for their diet, and ultimately, for not being “pleasing” on camera, even if it’s in the form of self-deprecating humor. And while we love to laugh with these two, McCarthy and Wilson should not be relegated to the “fat niche” of Hollywood.
McCarthy, while overweight, has made multiple claims that she eats healthily and regularly exercises. Wouldn’t she make a better proponent for healthy eating and accepting one’s body than Lawrence?
We at Her Campus are not criticizing Lawrence, rather, the kind of Hollywood that makes women who do not fall into its confines of beauty apologize for their size. Promoting positive body image is a move in the right direction, though, and even if Lawrence gains fifty pounds, our support of her brilliant acting will not waver.
Photo Sources: Flickr Creative Commons