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Honesty HourMelissa McCarthy Reflects On Her Experiences With Fat-Shaming In Hollywood
To most people, Melissa McCarthy is one of the most talented women in Hollywood. Unfortunately, the actress, 48, hasn’t always been treated that way. Speaking with InStyle, Melissa reflected on the many instances she has been mistreated in the movie industry, particularly when it comes to her appearance.
One such instance of blatant fat-shaming took place in 2011: “I do remember another interview I did for Bridesmaids with somebody who later lost his job for a conversation he had on a bus with someone else,” she told the publication. “I won’t mention names, but just think about it. He kept asking, ‘Are you shocked that you actually work in this business at your tremendous size?’ He was like, ‘Oh, your tremendous size, you can actually work?’ I just remember all the blood drained out of me.”
“I thought, ‘With my tremendous size, I could tackle you so quickly.’ There were two cameras on him, and one was on me, and he went back to that question three or four times, and I just kept talking about the script or how fun Paul Feig was. He was looking around like, ‘She’s crazy,'” Melissa continued.
“When we left, their producer was horrified and said, ‘We’ll never play what he said. I’m so sorry.’ But it happens all the time, to the point where it’s fascinating because they don’t do it to men. Not to be a jerk or single him out, but when John Goodman was heavier, did anybody ever talk about his girth?”
In the years since Melissa’s beloved role in Bridesmaids, the mother-of-two has lost a considerable amount of weight. That said, it doesn’t erase her awful and, frankly, dehumanizing experiences with fat-shaming. Her point about John Goodman (no offense, man) brings awareness to a disheartening societal construct that’s made even greater among the rich and famous: The world is not kind to fat women. We applaud Melissa for always taking the high road. Keep stacking those checks (and awards), girl.
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