Jennifer Lawrence is one of the biggest actresses in the film industry. What makes her unique from others at the same height of fame as her is the fact that she recognizes the power that she holds in her hands. She understands the influence. She is aware of the impact that she can create in society and uses it positively, trying to spread awareness about things that she believes in. From talking about the gender pay gap to sexism in Hollywood, there is a lot that this actress is trying to better.
After getting cast in the role of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, there was an ask that was made from her regarding her body weight. Almost risking losing this opportunity, Lawrence refused, being much more concerned about the young women who would watch her and learn from her.
Jennifer Lawrence Refused To Lose Weight
Jennifer Lawrence has been very vocal about her dislike of the film industry’s obsession with women’s bodies. Having been a victim of this her entire career, she decided that when she had some power in her hands, she would not let producers dictate how her body looked for a role. The actress revealed to SciFiNow, that when she was cast in the role of Katniss Everdeen, she was asked by the producers to lose 10 pounds for this role, trying to fit in The Hunger Games.
“In the first movie, when it was obviously being talked about, like, ‘It’s ‘The Hunger Games,’ you have to lose 10 pounds,’ I was like, ‘We have control over this image; we have control over this role model. Why would we make her something unobtainable and thin?’ This is a person that young girls — well, all women, but mainly young girls — will be looking up to and are going to want to look like her, and we have control over it, so why not make her strong? Why not make her beautiful and healthy and fit?”
The actress immediately said no and her reason for saying this was even more interesting. She explained that it is inevitable for this character to become a role model for young women and children. With this, the people working on this project had a lot of responsibility, as it would have a direct impact on the minds of these young girls. She stated that it does not make sense to have unrealistic body standards, that even she finds difficult to meet, just for young women to fixate over and not feel beautiful enough.
Jennifer Lawrence Thinks Hollywood Should Be Held Responsible
Jennifer Lawrence then went on to talk about why she was so adamant and making sure that she did not have a negative effect on the young minds of girls and women. Hollywood is the biggest phenomenon in the world. Celebrities and filmmakers have massive impacts on culture and societal thinking.
“I was very adamant about that, because I think that our industry doesn’t take enough responsibility for what it does to our society, about having these unrealistic expectations, and I don’t want to be part of that.”
Speaking on exactly this, she stated that too often, people in this industry ignore the impact and the responsibility that they have with the projects that they are making. She mentioned that these types of unrealistic expectations put on fictional characters have a very real and negative impact on the thinking of the ton. She did not want to be a part of this and wanted to change as much as she could.
