It’s once in a blue moon that a Hollywood film actress comes along who you’d actually want to get drunk with, and Jennifer Lawrence seems to be that woman. Everyone seems to be going mad for her, which, considering she’s a gal who speaks her mind and doesn’t take any shit, has to be a good thing, right? Though the fawning over her in the media may bother you, it’s our belief that positive female role models can only ever be A Good Thing. We’re no different from Grazia in that we want her to be our friend, but how sad is it that she’s the exception rather than the rule? If you’re in a position where you’re worshipping women for being themselves then that kinda indicates that most of the women in the public eye are hiding behind a rigidly constructed mask. And, for the love of J-Law, that makes us sad.
1. She flipped off the Press at the Oscars
There’s just something so amazingly childish about giving someone the finger, and yet it’s just so satisfying. One of our contributors once flipped off her boyfriend after a row. Perhaps the reason it’s so hilarious is because it’s traditionally so unladylike. We predict that giving the finger is going to be massively in this season. Extra points if you include a swizzle.
2. She’s a truly fantastic actress
Yay, talent. She’s a great actress – she was amazing in Winter’s Bone and her performance as depressed widow Tiffany in Silver Linings Playbook was exceptional – so her Best Actress Oscar was truly well deserved.
3. She calls bullshit on the whole Hollywood Machine, taking the piss out of reporters’ stupid questions about outfits and so on, like so:
‘My process?’ – I woke up, tried on my dress, took a shower, had my hair and make up done and came to the Oscars.” Never has Hollywood been so brilliantly mocked by one of its darlings, and it was bloody wonderful.
4. She’s obese
Well, not really, but she discussed in an interview last year the absurdity of the fact that she is thought to be so in Hollywood, saying “I’m considered a fat actress” (which is absolutely ridiculous of course, given she’s not overweight in the slightest), adding that she eats “like a caveman” and is “never going to starve myself for a part” (I’m looking at you, Hathaway!). She also kept going on about how hungry she was on the red carpet on Sunday, even putting in a McDonalds order with a reporter – amazing. We love a girl that isn’t afraid to eat what she wants and encourage a healthy attitude about food.
5. It’s like she can’t lie
Her new Dior campaign? Absolutely beautiful. But does it look like Jennifer? Not really. ‘Of course it’s Photoshop’ she said, when asked. ‘People don’t actually look like that.’
She also doesn’t seem keen to even pretend to be enthusiastic about fashion. When asked about her dress at the Oscars:
6. She likes to party as a verb
Not only did she admit to reporters that she’d downed a shot before the press junket, but according to the Daily Mail she was also seen smoking a ‘suspicious cigarette’. And we all know how much we love that.
7. She also thinks Cosmo is shit and useless
‘I picked up an issue of Cosmopolitan the other day that had tips for job interviews, because I was like, ‘I need to get better at interviews.’ The article was basically about how to get someone not to hate you in 20 minutes. Every single thing they told you not to do, I was like, ‘I do that every day’, she said.
8. She’s outspoken about mental health issues
Asked about how Silver Linings Playbook had helped open up a discussion about them, she said “It’s so bizarre how in this world if you have asthma you take asthma medicine, if you have diabetes you take diabetes medicine, but as soon as you have to take medication for your mind it’s…there’s such a stigma behind it.” So not only is she funny and charming, she’s also wise.
9. ‘I beat Meryl!’
10. She’s clumsy
She fell down on the way to collect her award, making me feel a lot better about when I tripped up the stairs on the bus the other day – sure, that was pretty humiliating, but hey, at least that wasn’t televised around the world for millions to see. That she handled it so well with such humour and self-deprecation (“you guys are only standing because I fell and you feel bad”) just made her all the more loveable.
We could go on, but we won’t, because it will become nauseating. But my God, if there isn’t anything better than a hilarious, quotable woman.
Indeed, Vulture.com have a whole series entitled This Week in Jennifer Lawrence Quotes. We wish we’d thought of it.
- EB
What’s the problem with Anne Hathaway losing weight for Les Mis? It was an element of the character! Christian Bale didn’t get shit for losing an insane amount for The Machinist (Ditto 50 cent and matthew mcconaughey and probably a million others). Just saying.
But yeah Jennifer Lawrence seems pretty cool.
Anne Hathaway was playing a dying, starving prostitute, and has repeatedly refused to answer questions about the diet she undertook to get to that weight because she doesn’t want anyone to copy her. Praising women is great, please don’t drag other women down in order to do it.
I agree with the above comments. If you’ve ever watched or read interviews with her you’ll see just how smart, quick witted and down to earth she is. Anne Hathaway,Scarlett Johansson and Jennifer Lawrence are all brilliant in my book.
Anne Hathaway is indeed probably a poor example of this, given the role in question, and her refusing to say how she did it (my guess is by not eating an awful lot).
Compare and contrast to Beyonce, with all the reporting of the ridiculous liquid diet she apparently followed before The Pink Panther film (I think it involved downing pints of Tabasco and honey, or lime juice, or something similarly gross and patently lacking in nutritional value…)
Of course what is really sad is that I can remember this, which says something about media coverage and the impact it has on young women – although I’ve never been remotely tempted to try it!
A funny lady indeed, Miss Jennifer Lawrence…
Although the Hathaway bit in the article, when put in perspective with some of the above comments, made me think that sadly, we still believe in things like role-models and we still have cults of personality…
I am actually an Anne Hathaway fan, but I just didn’t like that she starved herself for that role. I wasn’t bringing her down, simply saying it was refreshing Jennifer Lawrence said she wouldn’t do that for a part, when far too many actors do (Hathaway is a recent example) in my opinion. I agree you shouldn’t drag other women down but there’s nothing wrong with criticising a choice you don’t think was that great!
Can I just add Jessica Chastain to the list of awesome Hollywood actresses because I have only just discovered how amazing she is – funnily enough because of her fabulous response to the reported “feud” between her and Jennifer Lawrence. How great would it be to see all three of them working together.
PS – the worst starvation acting I’ve seen is Michael Fassbender in Hunger, oh god. Horrifying.
Yes, agreed – Jessica Chastain is awesome! Loved her response to the supposed ‘rivalry’ she had with J-Law.
Anne Hathaway was supposed to look like she was dying of consumption and starvation. Looking pink-cheeked and hearty wouldn’t have been “refreshing,” it would have been inaccurate. And it would have trivialized the sufferings of the people Hugo’s novel is intended to bring attention to. Poverty isn’t pretty. Poverty doesn’t lead to healthy, rosy-cheeked, curvy young women. Poverty destroys the body. Hathaway’s commitment was to the role, to showing the terrible ravages of crippling lifelong poverty.
I love Jennifer Lawrence, but Hathaway made the right decision.
Did I say her looking pink-cheeked and hearty would have been “refreshing”? No. I said that in my opinion I don’t think she should have gone to such extremes – as did the director, who himself asked her to stop starving herself. You disagree, and you’re entitled to your opinion – as am I to mine!