Rising Above Hollywood's Status Quo

Ever watched an interview of Jennifer Lawrence? Well, you should. They're full of raw and real humorous comments. Every interview I've watched, (and trust me, it's a very large number), she constantly has to throw in, "My publicist is going to kill me for saying that." Yet, she continues to be truthful and honest, which is so refreshing to see. I think that's one of the reasons why she is so highly loved by fans, because she is not like all the other branded actresses out there in the hectic life of Hollywood. 

The very talented Jennifer Lawrence made her big break two years ago, when she landed the main role in the movie, The Hunger Games. With a rapidly growing group of supporters and fans, primarily made up of young girls, Lawrence had successfully challenged society's status quo of what a typical Hollywood celebrity would need to eat, dress, say, believe, and overall, do. So many young individuals look up to her as a strong warrior because of her first big role as Katniss, who breaks through the stereotype that girls are weak and inferior to boys. Katniss is seen as a strong, smart, and independent woman, who ultimately survives more than just a game; she survives the struggles thrown at her. Followers of Lawrence see her portrayed as Katniss and come to believe they can achieve whatever dream they have; for if Katniss can do it, they certainly can as well. 

A major reason why I greatly respect miss Jennifer Lawrence is because she promises to never diet for an acting role. This issue broke out after the premiere of the first Hunger Games, for some believed she looked "too healthy" to play the part of Katniss. Lawrence worked on getting fit and strong for training and filming, rather than dropping a few pounds. Lawrence tells ELLE Magazine in a 2012 interview, "I don't want little girls to be like, 'Oh, I want to look like Katniss, so I'm going to skip dinner. That's something I was really conscious of during training." Unlike the majority of Hollywood, Lawrence maintains a healthy, womanly body figure; and hopefully young girls, who may be struggling with fitting into their own role in life, will admire and aim to be like her--rather than an actress say like, Natalie Portman, who (as wonderful as she is) dropped 20 pounds to fit her role in The Black Swan. In Hollywood, Lawrence is considered a fat actress. I guess since you can't see her ribs sticking out when she's on the beach, she's overweight. WHAT? That's normal. Hollywood carries such a hypocritical attitude, where celebrities are called out for looking too fat, so they lose weight. But then they are proceeded to be called too skinny, and rumors of celebrities suffering from eating disorders arise. It's a body-image mindset cycle of Hollywood that seems impossible to escape, at least for many actresses constantly scrutinized in tabloids. But at the same time, Hollywood is making fun of people for looking normal, for looking like us, their fans. Lawrence does a nice job at addressing this issue, and I hope many other fans of hers acknowledge her values and fresh perspective in our skewed society.