It is known that the entertainment industry can be a dark and murky place beneath all that glitz and glamour and looks like not even our brightest sweethearts are safe.
In recent interviews, Jennifer Lawrence has opened up about the early days of her career, recounting the experience as "humiliating" and "degrading".
Surviving the industry is not an easy job and Jennifer's words only made it clear just how tough it is to be a woman here. She addressed the issues and instances at Elle's Women in Hollywood at Los Angeles on Monday night. Jennifer attended the event as one of the eight honourees.
What came as a vivid shock to most was the Hunger Games star admitting that she had been asked by movie producers to lose weight and drastically slim down for roles from her very initial days in the industry.
Jennifer revealed the shocking instances of actresses who got fired before her, for being unable to lose weight. "When I was much younger and starting out, I was told by producers of a film to lose 15 pounds in two weeks," said the 27-year-old. And if that seems sickening, it gets only worse.
"During this time a female producer had me do a nude line-up with about five women who were much, much, thinner than me," she continued. "We stood side-by-side with only tape covering our privates. 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."
In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein allegations that have imploded within the media, multiple actors have come forward, retelling their own experiences with cases of humiliating sexual assault. And with Jennifer allowing an insight into exactly how the industry works at times, it's no surprise that these women had chosen to remain silent about what goes on behind the curtains.
Jennifer has always been the goofy, relatable girl-next-door star that multiple impressionable people can so easily identify with. Probably that's why her tales of degrading humiliation within the industry are all the more horrifying.
She also sheds light on what happened when she tried to stand up for herself and deemed the weight loss requirements as inappropriate. "He said he didn't know why everyone thought I was so fat, he thought I was 'perfectly f***able.'"
Jennifer also addressed the choices women have to make in order to establish themselves in Hollywood. "I let myself be treated a certain way because I felt I had to for my career," she explained. "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."
The Oscar winner has also spoken up about her views on the disgraceful Harvey Weinstein allegations and as "deeply disturbed" as she claimed to be to People magazine, she also stated that all these women coming forward together was "oddly unifying."
Even though she had worked with Weinstein five years ago and claimed to have never faced any kind of harassment from his side, "This kind of abuse is inexcusable and absolutely upsetting." She added, "My heart goes out to all the women affected by these gross actions. And I want to thank them for their bravery to come forward."
