Oscar-winning actress, and the most lovable human being ever, Jennifer Lawrence has spoken out against fat-shaming. The Hunger Games actress first expressed her disgust about how young women like Miley Cyrus use their sexualized image to sell.
In an interview with Barbara Walters for an ABC News special, Lawrence spoke out against the media’s criticisms towards people who are overweight. She expressed that “it should be illegal to call someone fat”.
Named as one of Barbara Walter’s “10 Most Fascinating People of 2013”, Lawrence asked Walters, “Why is humiliating people funny”?
“I get it, I do it too. We all do it. … But I think when it comes to the media, the media needs to take responsibility for the effect that it has on our younger generation, on these girls that are watching these television shows and picking up how to talk and how to be cool. … So then all of a sudden being funny is making fun of the girl that’s wearing an ugly dress.”
“And the word fat!” she added. “I just think it should be illegal to call somebody fat on TV. I mean, if we’re regulating cigarettes and sex and cuss words because of the effect it has on our younger generation, why aren’t we regulating things like calling people fat?”
Lawrence is an icon among women for speaking out against the constructed beauty standards of Hollywood. When she was first cast as Katniss Everdeen in “The Hunger Games”, her body became the central focus of critics. She had also refused to lose weight for roles because of the message it may send to female viewers.
Additionally, model and actress Milla Jovovich recently said that having extra weight makes you sexier.
It’s great to know that a lot of Hollywood stars are starting to change how we feel about our bodies and the concept of an ideal beauty.
“We have the ability to control this image that young girls are going to be seeing,” she said during the premiere of Hunger Games: Catching Fire. “They see enough of this body that they will never be able to obtain and it’s an amazing opportunity to rid ourselves of that in this industry.”
