Hunger Claims

My roommate Aryanne (I guess she brings out the ‘public intellectual’ side of me) asked me and my friend the other day: "Do you like Jennifer Lawrence?" I automatically and enthusiastically replied with "Yes," which led her to say, "Why?" I said that she seems to be one of the only real people in Hollywood and is a good actress. The way the conversation progressed after this really made me think.

Aryanne then said that yes, Jennifer Lawrence talks about not caring about what she eats, but she is skinny. She looks fit, which makes me skeptical about how much this can be true. This made me realize how hard it is to look up to celebrities.

Jennifer Lawrence goes on a talk show, discusses her love for food, and hatred of diets. This is out of the ordinary and almost taboo in the Hollywood world. However, this is not an overweight person saying this: this is a young, attractive, bow-wielding, sometimes big-haired, Oscar-winning icon. She does not have the physical attributes that we associate with “eating a lot.” I think she would be viewed as less of a role model if she was overweight and more of someone who needs to develop a healthy lifestyle.

She has also been quoted saying “We see these unobtainable perfect bodies and that’s what we are comparing ourselves to.” I hate to say it, but her body is like that. Most people would kill for how slim and lean she looks. As much as she seems to be rebelling against Hollywood life, she is not too different from the rest. Although she doesn’t talk about her love of yoga or eating healthy, she still IS fit. I find it hard to believe she does not care about how she looks, especially since she tried to play off the major training that was involved in the filming of the Hunger Games movies. She had to work for that role.

In a recent issue of Glamour magazine, actress Charlize Theron said “When someone tells you they never have to work out, they’re lying.” This is what I think is the more realistic way to see things. What celebrities may say in interviews is not necessarily true. In an industry that has a heavy emphasis on looks, it is hard to imagine someone as successful as Jennifer Lawrence being so nonchalant about it. Maybe I am completely wrong, and Jennifer Lawrence eats exactly what she wants and trains only when she has to. But then this calls to ask if she is just naturally skinny, which also falls under “unobtainable perfect bodies.” Although I still appreciate Jennifer Lawrence’s acting abilities and random, hilarious quips, I am hesitant about how much of what she says is actually true.

A few of Jennifer Lawrence's red carpet looks