“Gilmore Girls” actress Melissa McCarthy has often dealt with mean comments and insensitive views about her looks and body size. However, she has always accepted her body and is often forced to defend her honor when people say negative things about her.
Melissa McCarthy wears many hats. She is an actress who prides herself in cult classics such as “The Starling,” “Tammy,” “Pretty Ugly People,” and “Bridesmaids.” In addition to a successful acting career, she is a comedian, writer, producer, and role model for body positivity.
McCarthy has always had a fluctuating body size and recalls she’s been a 6, a 12, and even more. Throughout her journey, she has learned that once you go beyond size 12, you need not lose your sense of fashion.
In that light, she teamed up with fashion mogul Gerard Guez’s Sunrise Brands to create her fashion line Seven7 collection in 2014, which caters to plus-size women and includes accessories and beauty products for women.
Sadly, even though the Emmy award-winning actress accepted her size and loved it, she has constantly been attacked for it and has often had to defend herself from mean and negative comments.
Dealing with negativity from people has not always been easy for the actress. Initially, such negativity often got to her, and she would wallow in self-pity for days. However, she soon realized she only needed to see herself in a positive light, and all else would fade away.
She retold how some years back, she was at a press conference for either the movie “The Heat” or “Tammy,” and a rep from a big organization kept asking her why she looked sloppy because she had not put on any makeup. She remembers the man asking her:
“Why do you always feel the need to be so grotesque?”
“The Life of the Party” actress recalls the interview was a big one with over 100 people in the room. She asked what he was talking about, stating that she could not answer him as she’d not understood his question.
The person then asked her why she looked sloppy, had no makeup on, with undone hair. McCarthy asked if he’d asked the same of any guy present without makeup. She then asked him to get out more if he did not think women out there preferred a more natural look.
The “Life As We Know It” star says the man then told her that she shouldn’t have come to the panel if she did not want to answer the questions, to which McCarthy replied:
“I really want to answer your questions. I’m sorry I didn’t wear makeup in a part. I’m sorry I didn’t look pleasant for you. But I also don’t think you should be here writing about movies.”
McCarthy has had her unfair share of mean comments in an industry that often frowns upon plus-sized women and idolizes made-up faces. She has come across all types of shaming regarding her body, but she has always defended herself.
The actress knows that dismissing those negative comments will mean the proprietor wins, so she ensures to wittily let them know that she’s accepted herself for who she is and loves her body.
While it has not been an easy fit dealing with journalists that seem fixated on her outward appearances, she has grown stronger over the years and no longer allows the hurtful comments to get to her.
In 2015, the actress stepped out looking chic after losing 75 pounds, thanks to an exercise regime and a healthy diet. The actress showed off her impressive new looks, and many could not believe how much she’d lost.
Even so, she did not obsess over losing any more weight and was happy with how she looked. An insider told Closer Weekly at the time:
“But she’s not obsessed with losing more. She’s happy in her own skin right now.”
McCarthy has been especially adamant about showing her two daughters, Vivian and Georgette, the value of self-acceptance. She told Closer Weekly that she’s always taught her daughters that one does not need to be perfect to be exceptional.
She understands that her daughters, who are only teens, will one day grow up and might face the same criticism she has faced. She ensures to teach them how to deal with the negativity. She shared:
“My daughters have a very good sense of self, responsibility, and kindness. That’s my job, and I take it very seriously.”
She and her husband of over 16 years are hell-bent on raising their daughters right. The actress disclosed that they often talk to the girls about the importance of kindness.
More importantly, she teaches them that every failure has a lesson. She discloses that she fails several times daily but always chooses to rise from it.
The actress has also taught her daughters that there were always people who would not be okay with what one does, “but as you get older, you can step into that and not worry about it.” She adds.
McCarthy, who once almost bowed to the negativity she received from people, has become an inspiration to others through self-acceptance. Following her shoot with Instyle Magazine for the February 2021 issue, many fans congratulated the actress on Twitter, sharing how much of an inspiration she was to them.
One Twitter user, @ChungongPhil, commended the actress for her excellent work inspiring others. He added that besides being a role model to little girls and women, she is also an inspiration to young guys still finding their way around life, like himself.
The Twitter user added that while he’d never met nor spent time with McCarthy, he had learned much from her. Another, @ELOQUII, revealed how much the actress had inspired them, tweeting:
“Truly inspired. What a shining light!!”
Many more thanked McCarthy, with another Twitter user, @worthystyle, congratulating the actress on the beautiful cover and story. “What a RADIANT size-inclusive positive cover. Spring is here!” She tweeted.
