Emma Stone always seems perfectly poised and put together, but the actress deals with her own internal battles when it comes to her appearance. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 star spoke to Seventeen.com about confidence, body image and, of course, girl power.
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“My great hope for us as young women is to start being kinder to ourselves so that we can be kinder to each other,” the 25-year-old said. “To stop shaming ourselves and other people for things we don’t know the full story on — whether someone is too fat, too skinny, too short, too tall, too loud, too quiet, too anything. There’s a sense that we’re all ‘too’ something, and we’re all not enough.”
Stone revealed that despite being praised for her movie-star good looks — and dating Spider-Man himself, British actor Andrew Garfield — she has her share of detractors too. And even though she works hard to rise above it, it can hurt sometimes. “I’m actively working hard on learning to appreciate yourself no matter what. If what someone else says can easily derail you, it means your sense of self isn’t that firmly established in the first place,” she says. “It’s an inside job. You’re beautiful and worthy and totally unique. People insult each other based on their own insecurities — even though it may feel personal, it really never is. Really. Seriously.”
One thing in particular that cuts too close? Negative comments about her frame. “Keeping weight on is a struggle for me — especially when I’m under stress, and especially as I’ve gotten older,” the stylish star explained. “That’s the way my genes have decided to go, and things will change as time goes on, as does everything. So when completely untrue statements are made about me or my health, of course a part of me wants to defend. Thing is, people have a right to imagine what they want to imagine. My job at these moments is to tell myself the truth … Then I remind myself to be kind to myself, and as slightly ridiculous as it may sound, to treat myself in the same gentle way I’d want to treat a daughter of mine. It really helps.”
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But in the end, Stone remembers to stay true to who she is, and embraces what makes her different.
“We’re all meant to be here, and we all have completely unique perspectives and personalities and stories worth sharing,” she said. “For me, it’s important never to forget that. There’s no use in comparing yourself to anybody else.”
Tell us: What makes you feel confident? Do you think Stone is a good role model for young women?
– Michele Corriston
