Jennifer Lawrence says she was made to stand naked with other actresses and called “fat”
All the assault, harassment and rape allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein have created a domino effect in women coming forward with stories of abuse in the entertainment industry. And last night, at Elle’s Women in Hollywood event, Jennifer Lawrence opened up about a few seriously disturbing incidents that took place at the beginning of her career.
At one point, J. Law says, she was made to stand naked with other actresses at an audition. Here’s what she says happened, according to People:
“During this time a female producer had me do a nude line-up with about five women who were much, much, thinner than me. We are stood side-by-side with only tape on covering our privates,” she added.
“After that degrading and humiliating line-up, the female producer told me I should use the naked photos of myself as inspiration for my diet.”
Lawrence said she tried to stand up for herself and told another producer she thought the weight loss demands were not appropriate.
“He said he didn’t know why everyone thought I was so fat, he thought I was ‘perfectly f***able.’”
Gross. And like so many of us would feel in that situation, Jennifer felt like she couldn’t say anything because it could hurt her career.
READ ALSO: Cara Delevingne says Harvey Weinstein tried to force a threesome on her
“I let myself be treated a certain way because I felt I had to for my career,” she said. “I’m still learning that I don’t have to smile when a man makes me uncomfortable. Every human being should have the power to be treated with respect because they’re human.”
She also says she was once told to lose 15 pounds in two weeks for a role, which is not only rude but super unhealthy.
Despite having experienced misogyny in the industry, though, Jennifer says Harvey Weinstein wasn’t inappropriate with her. Here’s her statement from last week about the allegations:
“I was deeply disturbed to hear the news about Harvey Weinstein’s behavior. I worked with Harvey five years ago and I did not experience any form of harassment personally, nor did I know about any of these allegations. This kind of abuse is inexcusable and absolutely upsetting. My heart goes out to all of the women affected by these gross actions. And I want to thank them for their bravery to come forward.”
Clearly, this is a huge problem in Hollywood — and many other industries, as any woman who’s ever worked at a job can probably tell you. But at least now people are talking about it.
READ ALSO: Gillian Anderson’s return to TV is coming at the perfect time
