'Cruel' Body Shaming Left Kate Winslet Scared of Hollywood
"It was critical and horrible and so upsetting to read."
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It’s 2021, and while conversation on body shaming in Hollywood is no longer taboo, the ill-treatment of prominent women by the public still happens.
Women around the world and from all walks of life are speaking up about their experience of being ill-treated.
Recently, critically acclaimed actress Kate Winslet joined the ranks and spoke out against the unrealistic body standards prevalent in the industry.
Winslet catapulted to fame after Titanic, but it wasn’t without obstacles. Many would think that Winslet’s overwhelming success as Rose would be extolled and not mocked; however, Winslet begs to differ.
In her recent interview with The Guardian, the Oscar-winning actress recalled the misogynistic and cruel body-shaming she received at the height of her Titanic’s success.
She confessed that articles written about her from the 1990s were so cruel that it was detrimental.
Winslet Almost Forwent Hollywood
During her interview, Winslet dredged up some newspaper articles written about her in the late 1990s, from when she was 19.
Back then, when the press was far less tolerant and enlightened as today, all the tabloid journalists could talk about was her weight instead of talking about her work.
They would comment on my size, they’d estimate what I weighed, they’d print the supposed diet I was on. It was critical and horrible and so upsetting to read.
Out of all the comments, the actress still remembers one from the late Joan Rivers who said that “If she just lost five pounds, Leo would’ve been able to fit on the raft.”
The actress added that the persistent comments about her weight had damaged her confidence.
When she was frequently asked for “comment” on her own appearance, she got labeled as being outspoken and ballsy while trying to defend herself.
The obsession with her weight almost deterred her from pursuing acting in Hollywood.
Thankfully, she iterated that the birth of her daughter Mia Threapleton changed her perspective and made her care less about the unwarranted opinions and commentary over her weight or height.
Today, looking back on articles written about her, she is moved by the changes in the industry.
On Entering Forties and Changing Beauty Regimens
These days the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind star has a different outlook on beauty, especially since she entered her forties.
She is no longer the low self-esteemed 20 years old and focuses on internal health and the direct impact on her skin and hair.
In her interview with Vogue, the actress stated that as she got older; she worried less about her appearance and spent lesser time in front of the mirror, all because her priorities have changed.
As a parent, she feels the most beautiful when she is a good mother and does her best to love her family.
Her confidence and change in beauty regimen are perhaps why Winslet portrayed the young Mary Anning, a paleontologist who develops an intense bond with another woman in Ammonite so masterfully.
Winslet has come a long way since her early days in Titanic, and she has no desire to stop soon.