Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence made headlines April 7 when she shamed the media for its stance on body positivity and urged them to adopt a new “normal.”
In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, she revealed that her body shape is seen as “normal” by the media just because she has a little more meat on her bones than other actresses.
She is lauded for her body type, which is seen as a realistic and attainable example for young girls, but Lawrence admitted that she doesn’t feel like she has a “normal” body.
“I do Pilates every day,” she said. “I eat, but I work out a lot more than a normal person. I think we’ve gotten so used to underweight that when you are a normal weight it’s like ‘Oh, my God, she’s curvy.’ Which is crazy.”
She suggests that we adopt a new “normal” body type. While her motivation is honorable, her execution falls flat. We don’t need a new normal. We need to embrace all body types, shapes and sizes. No body type should be seen as more or less acceptable than another.
Someone’s weight and subsequent size is no one’s business but their own. Lawrence is perpetuating body shaming by entertaining the notion of a “normal.”
Only five percent of women naturally possess the “acceptable” body type portrayed by Americans in the media, according to a study done by Do Something. Ninety-one percent of women are unhappy with their bodies and resort to dieting to achieve their ideal body shape.
In an interview with The Guardian, Lawrence said, “If anybody even tries to whisper the word ‘diet,’ I’m like, ‘You can go f— yourself.’” This poses as a positive message, and was embraced by many. However, if this had been a statement from a larger actress, chances are, it would have received a vastly different reaction.
Lawrence’s heart is in the right place, but to suggest that someone is “normal” suggests that body policing is OK. This reinforces today’s asinine cultural standards and perpetuates the myth that only one type of body is acceptable.
Like Lawrence, actress Amy Schumer is often grouped in with “larger” actresses. Earlier this month, Schumer posted an Instagram photo of an issue of Glamour Magazine, in which she was lumped with Melissa McCarthy, Adele and Ashley Graham — all of whom the media consider plus-size.
In America, plus-size is defined as size 16 and up. Schumer stated that she fits within the realm of sizes 6-8.
“Glamour Magazine put me in their plus size only issue without asking or letting me know, and it doesn’t feel right to me,” Schumer said in her Instagram post. “Young girls seeing my body type thinking that is plus size? What are your thoughts? Mine are not cool.”
Schumer said there’s nothing wrong with being plus size. She considers these women beautiful and healthy. Lawrence could learn a few things from Schumer.
Fifty-eight percent of college-age girls feel pressured to be a certain weight, according to a Do Something study. This statistic can be attributed to the media and the pressures put on women to be thin, attractive and, overall, visually pleasing.
Lawrence is only permitted to be a body-positive role model because she represents conventional beauty standards. Her hypocritical statements not only reiterate those made by the media, but also reinforce them.
Allie Cobb is an 18-year-old mass communication freshman from Shreveport, Louisiana.