Women in Hollywood have long suffered under the pressure to look ‘perfect’ and live up to unrealistic standards of beauty. However, many high profile men also struggle with the same body image issues – including The Kissing Booth star Jacob Elordi.
In a recent interview with Men’s Health, Elordi said the attention that was placed on his looks – and specifically, his body – when he was cast in The Kissing Booth “really f*cking bothered” him. Hear all about it below:
“I trained extensively for the first film, because it said it in the script,” Elordi said. “I was so terribly nervous that I wouldn’t be what the script wanted me to be.”
“At the time, I was super young and got thrown into a world where everyone wanted to talk about my body… it really f*cking bothered me,” he revealed. “I don’t identify with that whatsoever. I was trying to prove myself and be known as an actor. It was so much working out and I hated every second of it.”
Elordi told Men’s Health he chose not to train at all for The Kissing Booth 2 and now focuses more on yoga and pilates “as a tool to stay centred and grounded in the midst of all the tumult in the world.”
It’s a shame Jacob Elordi felt the need to fit his body to the ‘perfect’ mould for his role in the film, but it’s not the first time a male celeb has been objectified in the limelight.
In a 2013 interview with Sunday Style, Twilight actor Robert Pattinson revealed he has struggled with “body dysmorphia, overall tremendous anxiety” since skyrocketing to international fame.
“I suppose it’s because of these tremendous insecurities that I never found a way to become egotistical. I don’t have a six-pack and I hate going to the gym. I’ve been like that my whole life. I never want to take my shirt off. I’d prefer to get drunk,” he said.
Then there are the high profile men who have dealt with body-shaming trolls, including Noah Centineo and Jason Momoa – who copped ridiculous “dad bod” claims last year.
It’s important to remember that although celebrities are incredibly talented, famous and often genetically-blessed – they aren’t projections of what society deems ‘perfection’ and the sooner we realise that, the less pressure everyone will face.
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