Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan Slams Body-Shaming Critics In Series of Tweets
Nicola Coughlan has won critical acclaim for her roles in Derry Girls and Bridgerton, but there's one thing the actor wishes critics would stop talking about: her body. In a series of tweets, Coughlan implored the media to stop focusing on women's looks instead of their professional accomplishments. "Can we judge actors for their work and not their bodies?" she tweeted. Read on to find out what Coughlan had to say about the intense focus on women's bodies in the media, and for more celebrity news, check out how James Corden Lost 16 Pounds in Less Than Two Months.
Coughlan lamented the "irrelevant" body-centric questions often asked of stars.
While stars of all genders can be susceptible to body-shaming, Coughlan pointed out how prevalent the practice is in interviews with women.
"Can we please stop asking women about their weight in interviews, especially when [it's] completely irrelevant?" asked Coughlan.
Coughlan noted that there have been numerous instances recently in which interviewers have been called out for their unprofessional past behavior, but that little has actually changed. "Unfortunately, it's still happening," Coughlan wrote.
Coughlan slammed criticism of stars' bodies as "reductive."
Coughlan explained that she finds it difficult to sit through interviews once her body, rather than her work, becomes the focus of the conversation.
"It makes me deeply uncomfortable and so sad I'm not just allowed to just talk about the job I do that I so love," she admitted. On a larger scale, she said the practice was antithetical to the progress the entertainment industry has claimed to support in recent years. "It's so reductive to women when we're making great strides for diversity in the arts, but questions like that just pull us backwards [sic]." And for more celebs who've fought back against body-shamers, Demi Lovato Says This Is How She "Accidentally" Lost Weight.
Coughlan said she doesn't allow her body to define her.
Though Coughlan's been vocal about her desire to have fans and critics focus on actors' performances instead of their looks, she admitted that she's not letting the scrutiny get to her.
"I'm not a body positivity activist, I'm an actor," Coughlan wrote. "I would lose or gain weight if an important role requirement [sic]. My body is the tool I use to tell stories, not what I define myself by." And for more on your favorite stars, Chrissy Teigen's New Popcorn Spices Blasted For These Ingredients.
This isn't the first time Coughlan's called out critics for their focus on her looks.
In 2018, after a critic called Coughlan an "overweight little girl" in a review of her performance in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," Coughlan fired back with an essay in The Guardian, slamming the industry's focus on women's bodies.
"I hope in the future that more people will talk about our work, our inspirations, our drive, rather than our looks," Coughlan wrote. "A revolution is happening, and I want to play my part in it."
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