By Sarah Murnane
On the recent press junket for her new movie Die My Love Jennifer Lawrence was discussing
her experience with filming nudity, especially while being pregnant at the time of filming. She stated: “I remember them sending over a close-up of, like, cellulite being like, ‘Do you want us to touch this up?'” she recalled. “And I was like, “No. That’s an ass.’” Lawrence added that it “felt freeing” to not have to care about her body in the same way she previously had for other movies. This appears to be the beginning of a recent trend with women in the Hollywood sphere. Pamela Anderson announced in 2023 that she would no longer wear any makeup in public appearances unless she felt particularly inclined for something specific. Compared to the past twenty years of the public eye of famous women, this marks a distinct shift in thinking. Until recently, in the 2010s, it was not uncommon for women of all ages to undergo extensive, and expensive, cosmetic surgeries in order to feel more secure in their appearance.
This sentiment is welcomed in any way. The more that celebrities begin to behave and act more like the average person, the less pressure I feel that people, mainly women, will have to ascertain unattainable features. Yet, there is a thought that gets caught in the back of my throat whenever I see clips like Jennifer Lawrence and Pamela Anderson; they are only doing it now because it is not consequential. The fact is that no ‘younger’ actress, singer, or public figure has embraced this message. Both Lawrence and Anderson are well-known enough that their fame is unlikely to be affected or altered due to their physical appearances in this way. More to the point, they spent years of their lives also trying to maintain an incredibly beautiful and poised image, which they both benefited from. In essence, the message to younger women appears to be when you are in your twenties you should starve yourself skinny, spend exorbitant amounts of money on make-up, and get just enough cosmetic surgery and treatments to look young. Then, once you’re older, you can relax.
Not exactly inspiring, although I hope that a younger celebrity star embraces this sentiment, it seems increasingly unlikely. That will be the real change, until then it appears us ladies have a long road ahead of us.