Sam Claflin, who bared his abs in movies like “The Hunger Games” and “Me Before You,” says he can identify with stories he’s read from actresses who say they have been body shamed on set.
“I read in an interview recently and I think it’s absolutely true: men have it just as bad,” the actor told The Sunday Morning Herald. “Well, not just as bad but they get it bad and it’s never talked about.
“I remember doing one job when they literally made me pull my shirt up and were grabbing my fat and going ‘you need to lose a bit of weight’. This other time they were slapping me. I felt like a piece of meat,” he said.
The actor, who will next appear in “My Cousin Rachel” opposite Rachel Weisz, said he continues to stay “insecure” about his body and sometimes won’t eat for weeks to get the body producers are looking for.
“I’m not saying it’s anywhere near as bad as what women go through but I, as an actor approaching each job, am insecure — especially when I have to take my top off in it — and so nervous,” he added. “I get really worked up to the point where I spend hours and hours in the gym and not eating for weeks to achieve what I think they’re going for.”
The 30-year-old said actors are held to different standards these days.
“In the ’50s and ’60s, it was never an issue,” he said. “James Bond never had a six pack. He had a hairy chest. Marlon Brando in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ had an incredible body but he was by no means ripped to within an inch of his life. There’s a filter on society that this is normal but actually it’s anything but normal.”
This isn’t the first time Claflin has spoken out about his body. In December, the actor clarified that in a particular photograph, his face was photoshopped onto a male’s body.
Celebrities that have spoken out about body shaming include Chrissy Metz, Amy Schumer, Daisy Ridley, Lady Gaga, Demi Lovato and Emma Stone. Even Vin Diesel fell victim to the shaming: After photos surfaced of Diesel with a “softer” physique than fans are used to, the actor said, “I do think it’s wrong to body shame. Trolls on the Internet — there are all kinds of atrocities they commit on the Internet.”
15 Stars Who Fought Back Against Body Shaming, From Chrissy Metz to Vin Diesel (Photos)
Chrissy Metz, Vin Diesel and Jennifer Lawrence have spoken out against body shaming in the past
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Chrissy Metz
“This Is Us” star Chrissy Metz talked back to body shamers over a latex dress she wore to the MTV Movie & TV Awards in 2017.
"For the record, I wear what I want, when I want. News flash it's MY body. #thankstho," she tweeted.
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Amy Schumer
The comedian hasn't been shy about her body, but last year she posted a swimsuit picture on Instagram in an effort to bait and then lambaste body shamers.
This came a month after Schumer called out Glamour magazine for featuring her in its “Chic at Any Size” special issue.
“Plus size is considered size 16 in America,” Schumer wrote on Instagram. “I go between a size 6 and an 8."
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Daisy Ridley
Last March, an Instagram user posted a photo of Ridley as Rey with a speech bubble that read “I can’t believe the unrealistic expectations I’m setting for young girls. Who cast me anyway? Don’t they know that real women have curves?”
Ridley responded to the troll with a screen grab of their original post and comment that said, “‘Real women’ are all shapes and sizes, all ethnicities, all levels of brave, have families, don’t have families. I am a ‘real women’ like every other woman in this world.”
She struck back at her body shamers with a message of personal acceptance.
“I heard my body is a topic of conversation so I wanted to say, I’m proud of my body and you should be proud of yours too,” Gaga wrote on Instagram. “No matter who you are or what you do. I could give you a million reasons why you don’t need to cater to anyone or anything to succeed. Be you, and be relentlessly you. That’s the stuff of champions. thank you so much everyone for supporting me. I love you guys. Xoxo, gaga.”
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Vin Diesel
After photos surfaced of Vin Diesel with a “softer” physique than fans are used to, the actor said, “I do think it’s wrong to body shame. Trolls on the Internet — there are all kinds of atrocities they commit on the Internet.”
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Emma Thompson
In an interview on Swedish talk show “Skavlan,” Thompson spoke out against Hollywood for triggering anorexic behavior in actors. “The anorexia … there are so many kids, girls and boys now, and actresses who are very, very thin that are into their 30’s and simply don’t eat. They don’t eat,” she said.
She then said she defended one actress on set when she was told to lose weight.
“I said to them, ‘If you speak to her about this again, on any level, I will leave this picture, you are never to do that.'”
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Demi Lovato
In an interview with Glamour last year, the singer said, "If somebody calls me fat, even in a vulnerable moment, I laugh to myself and think, I’m doing everything I can, so there’s nothing I can do about it.
"I don’t have a six-pack. Maybe I don’t even want a six-pack. It doesn’t sound very appealing."
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J.K. Rowling
According to Allure, Rowling posted a photo of her standing alongside Serena Williams when someone commented that Williams was "built like a man." But being the legend that Rowling is, she posted a photo of Williams rocking a form-fitting red dress with the caption, "Yeah, my husband looks just like this in a dress. You're an idiot."
"I firmly believe that nothing really affects you or can really bother you if you don't already feel that way about yourself. I've seen a lot of comments that say, 'Eat a sandwich' or 'She looks sick.' I've been looking at myself in the mirror being mean to myself. I'm not sick. I eat sandwiches," she says. "There is in no way is it my intention to be a bad example. That has been kind of bothering me lately. I've shamed myself for it. We shame each other online. We're always too skinny or too fat or too tall or too short. They're just confirming this feeling I have about myself. I'm trying to figure my body out. It bothers me because I care so much about young girls. We're shaming each other and we're shaming ourselves, and it sucks."
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Kim Kardashian West
When people made fun of the weight she gained during her pregnancy, she fired back on Twitter.
"Anyone who has had a baby knows how hard it is to lose weight...your body totally changes! Making fun of me pregnant and making fun of me trying to lose weight now, shame on you. I'm not perfect but I will never conform to your skinny standards sorry!"
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Lauren Ash
A little over a year ago, the "Superstore" actress posted a post-workout selfie to put body shamers to rest.
"Just a friendly reminder that size 12 women workout," she wrote. "We're not disgusting and lazy just because we aren't a size 0. (And hey, if someone chooses to be lazy it's really also no one's else's business.) #effyourbeautystandards #bodypositivity #honormycurves #celebratemysize #daretowear"
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Sascha Pieterse
When the "Pretty Little Liars" actress noticed some comments about her fluctuating body, she took to Instagram to write, "As a lot of you have noticed my body has gone through some changes, and I want to clear the air and give you an explanation. I have been facing a bad hormone imbalance that has thrown my body completely out of whack. I want to assure you that I'm healthy and getting everything back on track! A big thanks to all of you who have been in my corner! We live in such a judge mental society that puts every kind of flaw, including weight gain, in the same category. And for those of you who are struggling with any health problem, hormone imbalance, and weight gain of any sort I urge and encourage you to please deal with it in a healthy manor. YOU and YOUR health are what matters, not anyone else's opinions and assumptions of you. Getting healthy isn't just about working out and eating right (however extremely important) it's also about surrounding yourself with those who care about you and want to see you succeed and become the best you can be."
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Alyssa Milano
When Jay Mohr made fun of Alyssa Milano's body for her baby weight, Milano tweeted, "So sorry you felt the need to publicly fat-shame me. Be well and God Bless. Please send my love to your beautiful wife."
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Jennifer Lawrence
In an 2014 interview with Harper's Bazaar, Lawrence recounted a moment she was told that she would be fired if she didn't lose weight.
"I know it'll never happen to me again. If anybody even tries to whisper the word 'diet,' I'm like, 'You can go f--- yourself.'"
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Sam Smith
In 2015, Howard Stern called Sam Smith a "fat ugly motherf----." Smith's response? "Can't believe what I've just read. Ignore."
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Amy Schumer, Jennifer Lawrence and Sam Smith have also clapped back at trolls
Chrissy Metz, Vin Diesel and Jennifer Lawrence have spoken out against body shaming in the past
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