
Here are some quotes Jennifer Lawrence has made over the years, regarding her weight:
“I’d rather look chubby on screen and like a person in real life.”
“In Hollywood, I’m obese. I’m considered a fat actress. I eat like a caveman. I’ll be the only actress that doesn’t have anorexia rumors! I’m never going to starve myself for a part. I’m invincible. I don’t want little girls to be like, ‘Oh, I want to look like Katniss, so I’m going to skip dinner!’ That was something I was really conscious of during training. I was trying to get my body to look fit and strong, not thin and underfed.”
“If anybody even tries to whisper the word ‘diet,’ I’m like, ‘You can go f– yourself.”
“What are you gonna do? Be hungry every single day to make other people happy? That’s just dumb.”
Tumblr celebrates her in .gif form as a paragon of quirk and body acceptance:
One thing that may have escaped your notice, in the orgiastic celebration of JLaw realness that is the internet, is that Jennifer Lawrence looks like this:
Let’s concede the point here that she is, perhaps, a size or two above the Hollywood accepted norm. Let’s also concede the point that it’s admirable, being the star of a movie franchise aimed at teens, that she is concerned about the effect a too-svelte appearance might have on her audience, who are already bombarded with negative body messages every day. I’m not making this post to attack Jennifer Lawrence. I’m making this post to attack the rabid fandom that has grown around her.
I’m not going to cover the fact that it’s fucked up that a girl like Jennifer Lawrence has to justify her perfectly gorgeous body to every single media consumer in the world. We all know that’s fucked up. Let’s focus instead on the fact that in order to appease our own self-doubt about our weight, we, the internet, have decided to ignore how body-shaming the entire image of JLaw, “Spirit Animal” to fat girls everywhere, really is.
First of all, consider her quotes. She would rather look chubby on screen, but like a person in real life. This is a message of positivity only for people who consider themselves chubby, and it comes at the expense of women who are thin.
Maybe they’re thin because they’re sick. Maybe, they just like being thin, or they’re naturally slender. What this quote is saying is that these women aren’t people. I want to know, internet: at what percentage of body fat do women earn the right to be people?
I’m certain that a lot of my fellow fatties looked at that quote and rolled their eyes. We know that being fat doesn’t grant one personhood, because our alleged lack of self-control and dignity are directly linked to that body fat percentage.
Fat people are not people. They’re fat people. So, what does that quote do? It’s not empowering to anyone but women who look like Jennifer Lawrence. And it’s not a coincidence that she just happens to be the Coke-bottle standard we’re told men should prefer.
So, consider all those .gifs at the top of this post. The ones where she talks about how much food she eats, how she loves McDonald’s fries. Would the internet have embraced those quotes coming from, oh, I don’t know…
Top Comments
She's not saying that thin girls are not people, she's acknowledging the fact that in real life (i.e. off screen) she considers herself to be a normal size- a real person- as opposed to the general on-screen norm of very thin, below-average-weight actresses, that's all.
Even after reading this article I in no way believe anything that has been quoted in this article was ever intended to body shame anyone who is thinner or bigger than Jennifer Lawrence, but I do think it implies that to discuss body image and not giving in to pressures is some how not ok for someone considered 'classically beautiful'. That if you're slim and you have had body image issues you are not allowed to discuss them, or to talk about how you are happy with yourself.