Want proof that Shailene Woodley is a beacon of hope in young Hollywood? Look no further.
In a July 24th interview with Flavorwire, the Golden Globe-nominated actress spoke out about how the photoshopped images of celebrities we see in magazines are far from realistic, and why she has a problem contributing to a beauty standard that makes most women feel bad about themselves. She admitted:
I saw somebody -- what I thought was me -- in a magazine once, and I had big red lips that definitely did not belong on my face. I had boobs about three times the size they are in real life. My stomach was completely flat. My skin was also flawless. But the reality is that I do not have those lips and my skin is not flawless and I do have a little bit of a stomach. It was not a proper representation of who I am. I realized that, growing up and looking at magazines, I was comparing myself to images like that -- and most of it isn’t real.
But, despite opposing retouched images, Woodley is ultimately an actress who must promote her work. So how does she reconcile her beliefs with the necessary evils of her job? By refusing to wear makeup. Woodley told Flavorwire reporter Michelle Dean:
So (a) I don’t really wear makeup that much anyway, so part of it is just a selfish, lazy thing, and (b) I want to be me. I do think it’s fun sometimes to dress up for the Oscars or for certain events -- I get to be like a five-year-old again, wearing my Cinderella dress. But for some events where it’s a more casual vibe, I just want to be me.
Considering that women are negatively influenced by altered magazine images (especially young women -- research shows that 47 percent of girls in 5th through 12th grade reported wanting to lose weight based on images they had seen in magazines), it's inspiring to see a rising star like Woodley push back against those impossible beauty standards. We only hope more actresses take note and follow her lead.
HuffPo