Melanie Lynskey isn’t afraid to clap back against haters who try to body shame her, but the actor says she’s not just speaking out for her own sake.
During an interview with TODAY’s Hoda Kotb on Thursday, the “Yellowjackets” star explained that she’s tired of women being criticized for the way they look and said she’s determined to use her voice however she can to help.
“I just sort of feel like it’s the year 2023. Are we not in a place where we can accept that people have different kinds of bodies? Really,” she said. “There’s still a lot of people with slender, wonderful bodies around on television. Just let there be a couple of women who represent the vast majority of women in the world.”
The actor, who spoke out against an online hater last month, said she still can’t figure out why everyone feels entitled to comment on women’s bodies.
“I just don’t really understand what the issue is and I’m just over it. It’s exhausting,” she told Hoda.
When asked how she’s coped with the body image pressure that’s prevalent in Hollywood, Lynskey said she’s “tried to be kind” to herself and practice “self love and acceptance.” The star also gave a shoutout to her husband, Jason Ritter for supporting her.
“I’m very lucky to be in a great relationship with somebody who just loves me unconditionally and makes me feel beautiful in sweatpants — literally,” she said.
Of course, Lynskey also said she finds strength to serve as a voice for other women when women reach out to her and share positive feedback.
“The responses I have gotten from women are the thing that have really kept me going, just women feeling seen and feeling validated and saying, ‘I feel like I’ve seen myself on television. I feel represented suddenly,’” she explained. “And to me, that’s the bigger picture. That’s bigger than me feeling scared to speak out because there might be repercussions.”
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