During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Spy star Melissa McCarthy spoke about the pervasiveness of misogyny in Hollywood and the absurd value placed on women’s appearance, and addressed a scathing review of Tammy in which a male critic argued that McCarthy shouldn’t be allowed by her husband to look “so homely” in movies.
But ye olde jerks are way more comfortable making gendered judgements from behind a keyboard than they are in person, apparently—when later approached by the critic at the Toronto Film Festival last year, McCarthy called him out, asking,
Are you the one who wrote I was only a good actor when I looked more attractive and that my husband should never be allowed to direct me because he allowed me to look so homely? Would you say that to any guy? When John C. Reilly—or any actor—is playing a character that is depressed and dejected, would you say, ‘Well, you look terrible!’?
After discovering that the critic had a daughter, McCarthy warned him, “Watch what you say to her. Do you tell her she’s only worthwhile or valid when she’s pretty?”
McCarthy clarified to EW,
For someone who has two daughters, I’m wildly aware of how deep that rabbit hole goes. But I just don’t want to start listening to that stuff. I’m trying to take away the double standard of ‘You’re an unattractive bitch because your character was not skipping along in high heels.’
It’s heartbreaking to know that the opinions of Head Jerk Critic aren’t isolated, and that Hollywood consistently values women by a set of arbitrary, ageist and misogynist beauty standards–but at least McCarthy is out there fighting the good fight.
Ya burnt, jerks.
(via Jezebel)
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