In a year for Hollywood that has largely been defined by the #MeToo and Time's Up movements – created to highlight the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment after numerous allegations of sexual misconduct against former Hollywood heavyweight, Harvey Weinstein, came to light – other issues of gender inequality have stepped into the fore as well.
Issues such as the gender pay gap continue to make headlines, as more and more instances where women are paid less than men for the same job – and in some cases, like Claire Foy as The Queen, less for a better job – come to light.
However, in a recent interview with The Daily Telegraph, actor Dominic West has highlighted yet another area where men and women are not treated fairly. And surprise, surprise for Hollywood, it focuses on appearance.
'Male actors have won awards for parts where they’ve lost a lot of weight,' The Affair star pointed out. 'I’ve worked with a lot of big female film stars and the thing that I notice more than anything is that they’re starving. It’s just expected.'
That female stars are often encouraged to lose weight or be slim for certain roles is hardly 'breaking news'. But the point that male stars often get rewarded for dramatic weight loss, whereas for women, it appears to be merely 'part of the job' is a point that clearly warrants discussion in the on-going conversation about gender equality in Tinseltown.
From Jennifer Lawrence to Emma Thompson, time and time again Hollywood's biggest female stars have spoken out about the pressures to slim down for their careers. And it's about time this stops, frankly.
Here's hoping that in the wake of Dominic's observations, more actors speak out against this gross inequality. And as a result, the industry takes note and ensures losing weight as 'standard practice' for actresses becomes very much thing of the past.