Melanie Lynskey Just Got Seriously Real About Her Body Image Journey In Response To A “Misogynistic” Tweet About Her Acting Roles
Yellowjackets star Melanie Lynskey has responded to a “misogynistic” tweet about herself, and said that her “heart breaks” for the person who posted it because they are “still caught up in believing there’s an acceptable way to look in order to be loved.”
The 47-year-old actor somehow found herself being targeted off the back of former president Donald Trump being shot on Saturday, which saw some X users criticize the women Secret Service agents seen in the footage of the incident.
One person tweeted at the time: “To protect the President of the United States, if we are SERIOUS about it, we need MEN. And not just any men. We need SOF trained men. I don’t know why this is even debatable. Do you want the best or not?” and somebody else quote-tweeted to share their broader take.
“American culture has indoctrinated us into thinking you don’t need leadership traits, character, or skills to be an actual leader,” they wrote. “You just need to be a minority that feels like you should be in such a position and it’s granted. Insanity.”
Quote-tweeting themself, they later shared a photo of Melanie and added: “Example: this BS from Yellowjackets. No one would follow Melanie Lynskey as a leader. I dare you to now tell me otherwise.”
Example: this BS from Yellowjackets.No one would follow Melanie Lynskey as a leader. I dare you to now tell me otherwise. https://t.co/4c5izweNjV pic.twitter.com/WVrkU7bHeV
— the.real.shreddy.betty (@leisaredmon) July 14, 2024
Liane Hentscher/ HBO / Via x.com
Notably, the picture they shared was actually a screen grab of the star in The Last of Us, not Yellowjackets. In The Last of Us, Melanie plays Kathleen, the leader of the revolutionary movement in post-apocalyptic Kansas City.
In addition to pointing out the OP’s blunder, many other X users leaped to Melanie’s defense in the post’s replies and quote tweets.
“1. that’s not yellowjackets 2. i’d follow melanie lynskey to war,” one popular response reads.
Somebody else asked: “Can you explain how white women are minorities? Or how you just looked at a picture of a character & decided it didn't possess leadership skills if your point *isn't* that women just can't be leaders.”
“wtf do you mean i'd go to war for melanie,” another simply added.
And on Monday night, Melanie herself responded as she called for her fans to leave the person behind the discourse alone.
I will say honestly that my heart breaks a bit for any person who is still caught up in believing there’s an acceptable way to look in order to be loved/accepted/respected. I spent many years in that headspace and it was torture.
— Melanie Lynskey (@melanielynskey) July 16, 2024
Twitter @melanielynskey / Via x.com
“I feel like I should let you all know that I have read your replies to the misogynistic lady’s unsuccessful tweet. I am honestly bursting with joy to have the support of so many very, very funny and smart and kind people. I mean. So funny,” she began.
Melanie then shared her belief that the OP felt this way about her acting performance because of her physical appearance, writing: “I will say honestly that my heart breaks a bit for any person who is still caught up in believing there’s an acceptable way to look in order to be loved/accepted/respected. I spent many years in that headspace and it was torture.”
“It was a revelation when I stopped worrying about my thigh gap to realise how strong I felt,” she continued. “Being able to live as the happiest, healthiest, kindest (to myself and others) and most fully realised version of myself felt like gaining a superpower.”
“So let’s leave this lady alone and if you’re the praying type, say some prayers for her healing and for her heart,” the star concluded. “But again, you are all very very funny and I really love you.”
Disappointingly, this is far from the first time that Melanie has found herself being criticized for her appearance in The Last of Us, with model Adrianne Curry shocking fans when she lashed out on X back in February 2023.
Responding to a professional photo of Melanie, Adrianne wrote: “her body says life of luxury… not post apocolyptic [sic] warlord. where is Linda Hamilton when you need her?"
Melanie replied at the time: “I'm playing a person who meticulously planned & executed an overthrow of FEDRA. I am supposed to be SMART, ma'am. I don't need to be muscly. That's what henchmen are for."
The star went on to acknowledge that she is not the “typical casting” for this kind of role, but pointed out that this is exactly what she loved about it.
“The thing that excited me most about doing #TheLastOfUs is that my casting suggested the possibility of a future in which people start listening to the person with the best ideas,” she wrote. “Not the coolest or the toughest person. The organiser. The person who knows where everything is. The person who is doing the planning. The person who can multitask. The one who’s decisive.”
“Women, and especially women in leadership positions, are scrutinized incessantly. Her voice is too shrill. Her voice is too quiet. She pays too much attention to how she looks. She doesn’t pay enough attention to how she looks. She’s too angry. She’s not angry enough,” Melanie went on. “I was excited at the idea of playing a woman who had, in a desperate and tragic time, jumped into a role she had never planned on having and nobody else had planned on her having, and then she actually got shit done.”
“I wanted her to look like she should have a notepad on her at all times. I wanted her to be feminine, and soft-voiced, and all the things that we’ve been told are 'weak.' Because honestly, fuck that,” Melanie concluded. “I understand that some people are mad that I’m not the typical casting for this role. That’s thrilling to me. Other than the moments after action is called, when you feel like you’re actually in someone else’s body, the most exciting part of my job is subverting expectations.”
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