Melissa McCarthy, a celebrated actress and comedian, has been in the public eye for many years, and her weight has often been a topic of discussion. Over the years, McCarthy has shared her experiences with weight fluctuations, fad diets, and the pressures of Hollywood, offering valuable insights into self-acceptance and healthy living.
Acknowledging Fluctuations and Embracing Self-Acceptance
McCarthy has been candid about the ups and downs in her weight throughout her life. She told More magazine in 2013 that she's "been every size in the world." She has learned to accept that her weight will likely fluctuate for the rest of her life, stating, "I'll be up, I'll be down, probably for the rest of my life." In 2023, she told PEOPLE that somewhere in her 30s, she realized she was okay with who she was. "And if someone wasn't thrilled with that, that's okay too. At some point I was like, 'They're not all going to like you.' You have to learn that the hard way, but it's a good [lesson]."
Rejecting Dieting and Embracing a Balanced Lifestyle
McCarthy isn't a huge fan of dieting, having realized the negative impact of extreme measures. After landing her role on Gilmore Girls, she attempted a doctor-supervised all-liquid diet, which led her to lose 70 pounds in four months. "I’d never do that again. I felt starved and crazy half the time," she said. Instead, she advocates for a more balanced approach to health. "I could eat healthier, I could drink less," she told Rolling Stone in 2014. "I’m sounding like a lush, but, you know, I do what I can. I should be learning another language and working out more, but I'm just always saying, 'Ah, I could get hit by a bus tomorrow.'" In 2018, she said on Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM, “Everybody's always kind of working on something,” she said on Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM. “And I was like, ‘If I can de-stress and just do it slower and stop constantly trying to be on something.’ And then it actually worked better instead of being like, ‘I'm gonna not do this and do this and only drink this.'" McCarthy compared extreme diets to trying to hold your breath all day. "Fourteen hours in, you go bat sh*t crazy,” she said. “So I was like, 'I'm just gonna mellow out (and) give myself a break.”
The Importance of a Healthy Mindset
McCarthy believes that a healthy mindset is crucial for overall well-being. After losing 50 pounds in 2015, she told Life & Style, "I truly stopped worrying about it." She added, "I think there's something to kinda loosening up and not being so nervous and rigid about it that, bizarrely, has worked." She wants to show her daughters how to be healthy. “My husband and I always make a pot of vegetable soup that we puree and keep in the fridge. They don’t eat processed foods. But if my oldest daughter wants a cupcake, once in a while I’ll let her have it.” McCarthy never wants her daughters to feel bad about their bodies. “Give me your best punch in the face, and I’ll take that punch, rather than have my kid feel bad about herself,” she told Redbook.
Finding Joy in Movement
McCarthy has also revamped her exercise routine over the years. As soon as she got word she was going to star in Spy, alongside Jude Law, she started kicking up her exercise routine. "The second I knew I was doing the movie, I started training with an amazing martial arts instructor," Melissa told Life & Style. Melissa told ET in 2011 that she had lost 30 pounds doing Piloxing, a mix of Pilates and boxing. “I’m trying to do things that are fun,” she said.
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Addressing Double Standards and Promoting Body Positivity
McCarthy has been vocal about the double standards she faces as a woman in Hollywood. She recalled a time that someone from a big organization interviewed her, who couldn't stop pressing her about her body: "He kept asking, 'Are you shocked that you actually work in this business at your tremendous size?' He was like, 'Oh, your tremendous size, you can actually work?' I just remember all the blood drained out of me. I thought, 'With my tremendous size, I could tackle you so quickly.' There were two cameras on him, and one was on me, and he went back to that question three or four times, and I just kept talking about the script or how fun Paul Feig was. He was looking around like, 'She’s crazy.' When we left, their producer was horrified and said, 'We’ll never play what he said. I’m so sorry.'" Melissa went on to point out that it happens all the time to her, "to the point where it’s fascinating because they don’t do it to men," she told the magazine. "Not to be a jerk or single him out, but when John Goodman was heavier, did anybody ever talk about his girth?" She talked with AARP in April 2018 about feeling "put in a box" because of her weight. “I just find it dumb and boring. I really do,” she shared. “No one’s asking a man, how do you keep your legs in shape? Which I’ve been asked. I think every time we categorize people-by weight, by race, by gender-we put them in boxes and it’s not a good thing for the world.”
McCarthy is a huge proponent of body positivity, and in 2016, she shared an empowering message on Instagram: “We have to stop categorizing and judging women based on their bodies. We are teaching young girls to strive for unattainable perfection instead of feeling healthy and happy in their own skin," she wrote, adding this quote by Gloria Steinem at the end: "Imagine we are linked not ranked."
Overcoming Fashion Industry Challenges and Creating Inclusivity
Melissa has been super-clear and open about the fact that she’s struggled to find designers to dress her for big awards shows. "When I go shopping, most of the time I'm disappointed," she told Redbook in 2014. "Two Oscars ago, I couldn't find anybody to do a dress for me. I asked five or six designers-very high-level ones who make lots of dresses for people-and they all said no." Melissa has also spoken out about the limited fashion choices available for some women. “At a certain size, clothes just became tarp with a hole in it," she told The Guardian. "Everything was so mother-of-the-bride. I couldn’t ever put anything on and be like, ‘I love this!’ All I could say was, ‘Well, it’s on and it’s not a garbage bag.’"
So…she started designing her own clothing line. Melissa has designed clothes for Lane Bryant and launched her own Melissa McCarthy Seven7 line in 2015. “Women come in all sizes. Seventy percent of women in the United States are a size 14 or above, and that’s technically ‘plus-size,’ so you’re taking your biggest category of people and telling them, ‘You’re not really worthy.’ I find that very strange,” she told Refinery29. “I just think, if you’re going to make women’s clothing, make women’s clothing. Designers that put everyone in categories are over-complicating something that should be easy.” While Melissa McCarthy Seven7 is no longer in production, Melissa is working on a new label, according to WSJ magazine. She shared with them in August 2019: “I’ve been every shape and size that’s out there, and I just found it harder and harder to find stuff,” she says. She went on to say, “I thought, I’m modern and young and want to wear what everybody else is wearing. Why is this such a strange request? I just wanted to make it a little smaller and more accessible. I wanted to work on keeping prices down and for it to be for everyone.”
Addressing Recent Comments and Maintaining a Positive Outlook
On April 29, Melissa posted a picture of herself and choreographer Adam Shankman on IG. "Give him my regards," Barbra Streisand, 82, wrote in a since-deleted comment. "Did you take Ozempic?” After fans jumped to Melissa's defense, Barbara apologized. The next day, Melissa, posted a fun video on Instagram proving that former co-stars are all good. Melissa posted a reel of herself reading a copy of Barbra: Celebrating an Icon. “The takeaway, Barbra Streisand knows I exist. She reached out to me and she thought I looked good,” the actress said to the camera. “I win the day,” she added. After many years in the spotlight, Melissa McCarthy is used to people obsessing over her body, but she's no longer fazed by people's fascination with her fluctuating weight.
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