7 Times Jennifer Lawrence Was The Queen Of Shutting Down The Body-Shamers
We live in a strange universe, ladies and gentlemen: a universe where some human beings think it's acceptable and even sane to call Jennifer Lawrence "fat." A universe where actresses are constantly having to field questions about their bodies, because reasons. A universe where other people alternately celebrate and abhor JLaw for proudly declaring that she eats Slim Jims and Doritos.
It's all pretty craptastic, but none of this is JLaw's fault -- and whenever someone takes a swing at the actress regarding her own freaking body, she responds like a heavyweight champ. (Jokes, jokes.)
So without further ado, here are the best instances of JLaw taking ownership of her own body and shutting down the haters:
When she stood up for herself after her nude photos were stolen.
Gotta start with number one, and number one for JLaw is probably one of the worst moments of her life -- that time someone stole her incredibly personal nude photos, then put them online for public viewing. Lawrence's response to this awful situation was great, because she A, reminded everyone that taking nude photos is not a freaking crime, but that B, that looking at them totally is.
“I started to write an apology, but I don’t have anything to say I’m sorry for," she told Vanity Fair. I was in a loving, healthy, great relationship for four years. It was long distance, and either your boyfriend is going to look at porn or he’s going to look at you.
“It is not a scandal. It is a sex crime," she continued. "It is a sexual violation. It’s disgusting. Anybody who looked at those pictures, you’re perpetuating a sexual offense. You should cower with shame.”
When she told Barbara Walters it should be "illegal" to call someone fat.
When Lawrence was interviewed by Walters for "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2013," she used her platform to share her opinions about body-shaming.
"I just think it should be illegal to call somebody fat on TV," she said, adding that "I get it, and, and I do it too, we all do it. [But] the media needs to take responsibility for the effect that it has on our younger generation, on these girls who are watching these television shows, and picking up how to talk and how to be cool."
When she reminded us that feeling fit is more important than feeling super thin.
In a 2012 interview with Elle, Lawrence revealed her plans to make Katniss Everdeen a role model.
"I'm never going to starve myself for a part," she said. "I don't want little girls to be like, 'Oh, I want to look like Katniss, so I'm going to skip dinner'... I was trying to get my body to look fit and strong, not thin and underfed."
... And also reminded us that people are literally paid to keep her looking fit.
Ever feel down and out about your own body when you seen gorgeous actresses like JLaw onscreen? Well, it's important to remember that a team of paid professionals helps them look like that, and kudos to Lawrence for being honest about it.
"I hate saying, 'I like exercising,'" she told Glamour. "I want to punch people who say that in the face. But it’s nice being in shape for a movie, because they basically do it all for you. It's like, 'Here's your trainer. This is what you can eat.'"
SEE?! When someone is literally preparing a food and exercise plan tailored to your needs every single day, it's a little bit easier to stay in perfect physical condition.
When she called out the Queens of Mean.
During a live Q&A with Yahoo!, JLaw called out the "Fashion Police" types for what they really are -- people who make a living off of ridiculing women.
"Shows like the 'Fashion Police' and things like that are just showing these generations of young people to judge people based on all the things that are wrong, and that it’s okay to just point at people and call them ugly, and call them fat," she said. "They call it 'fun' and welcome to the ‘real world’, and that shouldn’t be the real world. That’s going to keep being the real world if we keep it that way. It’s not until we stop treating each other like that and just stop calling each other fat... with these unrealistic expectations for women. It’s disappointing that the media keeps it alive and fuels that fire."
When she reminded us that women need to stand up for other women.
We're all in the same body-shaming culture boat, ladies -- so many let's stop calling that girl who's working twice as hard as you at the gym "fat," or teasing someone for wearing an outfit you wouldn't touch.
“I think that we are just so unsupportive," JLaw told "Access Hollywood." "When I watch these shows and the media and I watch the women on these televisions shows pointing to these women and judging them and calling them ugly and calling them fat, it’s just like, where have we come? Why are we here? Why are we doing this to each other? Men were doing it hundreds of years ago and now we’ve turned around we we’re doing it to each other."
PREACH.
When she called out the media for sexualizing young girls.
Sexualizing underage bodies might not seem like body "shaming" to some, but it does create an unstable environment where young girls start being overly critical of themselves at an early age (as early as eight, according to recent reports), so good for JLaw on calling Hollywood out in a chat with the BBC.
"It is a part of the entertainment industry that sells," she said, adding that she was grateful to "The Hunger Games" for allowing her to show young girls a more realistic, strong body type. "Sex sells, and for some disgusting reason young sex sells even more.”