Rebel Wilson has opened up about the public discourse over her body, specifically the worldwide obsession with her weight loss above her work, and how her own team disapproved of her health journey.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Wilson shared her concerns about the public’s increased focus on her figure during her 2020 “Year Of Health”, and felt disappointed that her acting achievements went unrecognised.
“In 2019, I had, like, four movies come out, two which I produced and one, Jojo Rabbit, which got nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture,” she told the publication. “Yet I get more press the following year when I do nothing except lose weight.”
“When I was at my heaviest, I also had the most international attention on me,” Wilson added.
Despite her frustration with the collective obsession over her body, she continued to explain that she understands why the public was drawn so excessively to it.
“People are so obsessed with [weight],” she said. “But I get it. Oprah is one of my heroes. She’s certainly struggled with eating issues, and I would always watch her episodes when she spoke about that.”
“For the first time in my life I’ve lost weight and maintained it,” she said. “So I’m more proud of that fact. It worked because it was the whole lifestyle approach and dealing with emotional eating. I’m not totally cured. I don’t think you can be. But I’ve learned to manage it—and it’s not by reaching for a bowl of ice cream.”
In fact, it wasn’t just the public who had a not-so-pleasant take on Watson’s healthy living. It turns out, her own team in Hollywood gave her pushback when she told them she was planning to transform her life.
In an interview with the BBC, she explained that her team weren’t too pleased with her decision to take charge of her body.
“I got a lot of pushback from my own team actually, here in Hollywood, when I said ‘Okay, I’m going to do this year of health, I feel like I’m really gonna physically transform and change my life’,” she told BBC Breakfast. “And they were like, ‘Why? Why would you wanna do that?’ Because I was earning millions of dollars being the funny fat girl and being that person.
“Like I did not need a tub of ice cream every night. That was me kind of numbing emotions using food, which wasn’t the healthiest thing,” she said.
“I think it was dealing with not being a natural performer, and having to perform every day. And that pressure and internal stress to be able to perform like that.
“It’s fascinating. Why are people so obsessed with women, in particular, about their looks?” the actress added. “I know what it’s like to be a woman who is essentially invisible to most people because of not being seen as traditionally beautiful or whatever. It’s crazy to try to fit that. It’s just better to be the healthiest version.”
Mere months ago, Wilson spoke candidly about her change in eating habits, sharing a photo on Instagram of herself at a tennis event where she explains she was at her “most unhealthiest”.
“I know that I normally post flattering photos of myself…but found this old photo in my emails and was like: whoa!” she wrote in her caption.
“I remember this was when I was at my most unhealthiest—being overweight and indulging way too much with junk food,” she continued. “Using food to numb my emotions.”
She went on, “I look back now at that girl and am so proud of what she’s become and achieved. And just wanted to send out some encouragement to everyone out there struggling with weight or body issues or emotional eating.”
Wilson has also opened up about how she was treated differently by others since she lost weight.
While appearing on The Morning Crew with Hughesy, Ed & Erin, the Pitch Perfect star revealed that she noticed how others wouldn’t “necessarily look twice” at her before, but now, they’re significantly nicer to her.
“I liked to think I looked good at all sizes and stuff,” she said. “And I’ve always been quite confident, so it’s not like I wasn’t confident and now I’m super confident. I think what’s been really interesting is how other people treat you.”
“Sometimes being bigger, people didn’t necessarily look twice at you,” she continued. “Now that I’m in good shape, people offer to carry my groceries to the car and hold doors open for you.”
