Voices
When Jennifer Lawrence says
it’s “dumb” to go hungry to make
other people happy, she’s saying
it with the carefree attitude of a
woman who probably will never
have to make that choice to conform. Yes, she’ll be asked to diet
for a role, and she feels the same
pressure to meet cultural expectations as everyone else. But a
woman who looks like Jennifer
Lawrence doesn’t have to shop for
her clothes in online stores because no physical storefronts carry her size. A woman who looks
like Jennifer Lawrence probably
isn’t going to have a stranger try
to stage an impromptu intervention in a Pizza Hut because they’re
so, so concerned for her “health.”
If a woman who looks like Jennifer Lawrence goes to her doctor to
complain of an ailment, she’ll be
offered diagnostic tests instead of
a diet plan. Jennifer Lawrence can
say it’s “dumb” to go on a diet,
but Jennifer Lawrence might not
be facing weight-related prejudice or illness. Jennifer Lawrence
may never be forced to make the
choice between going hungry to
lose weight versus having a knee
and hip replacement at 35.
The reason Jennifer Lawrence
is allowed to be a body-positive
JENNY
TROUT
HUFFINGTON
01.19.14
role model to young girls and
“chubby” women is because she
is representative of conventional beauty. Jennifer Lawrence’s
public image has been built on a
foundation of fat girl drag. She
can say she’s “obese” by Hollywood standards, but the claim is
laughable when women like Melissa McCarthy also make their
living in the same industry and
The reason Jennifer
Lawrence is allowed to
be a body-positive role
model to young girls and
‘chubby’ women is because
she is representative of
conventional beauty.”
aren’t afforded the privilege of
unapologetic expression Lawrence enjoys as a conventionally
attractive person.
The message of body acceptance
built on Jennifer Lawrence’s soundbites only empowers those who are
willing to ignore the fact that her
statements reinforce our current
cultural views, rather than
subverting them.
Jenny Trout is an author and blogger.