Stop Saying Uma Thurman Pulled a Renée Zellweger
Uma Thurman at The Slap premiere. Photo: Getty Images
Whenever a celebrity reemerges into the public after some time away from the spotlight people are shocked to see that they’ve changed. Lately, Reneé Zellweger, Kate Gosselin, and others have sent Twitter and Facebook into a tizzy, with people observing that their faces drastically changed. And now Uma Thurman’s getting the same treatment.
On Monday night, the 44-year-old actress walked the red carpet in New York City at the premiere of her new miniseries The Slap. Thurman complemented her all-black outfit with her blond hair straight and pulled back, with a red lip. But the minimal makeup, lack of eye makeup, and new hairstyle (she usually sports a fringe) has some confused.
On Facebook, Kim Deyah (along with multiple news outlets including The Independent, New York Daily News, Glamour, USA Today, and more) accused the Kill Bill star of pulling a Zellweger. Ann Hedges wrote: “Not sure its [sic] just a lack of make up! She looks totally different for some reason.” Ernest S. Sedgwick asked if it’s something more than just wearing less beauty products. “Surely mascara can’t account for all that,” he said. And Joshua Heyward commented, “Oh dear me! What has Uma Thurman done to her face?”
But on Twitter, some came to her defense:
Anyone’s appearance can drastically change based on lighting and angle. Mary Kate Olsen was accused of cosmetic enhancements recently, but crowdsourced opinions from photographers came to the conclusion that it was the photograph itself that made her look so different. “With red-carpet and paparazzi photography, it’s an on-camera flash,” New York photographer Roy Beeson said. “That means the light is coming from above the camera, straight on. Everything’s illuminated. It’s not like with a studio photographer, who will use another light source, which is generally a little flattering and softer. The on-camera flash is harsher.”
Thurman on January 28 looking more like herself. Photo: Getty Images
Why is it that when a woman doesn’t appear to look like her 20-year-old self anymore, all of a sudden there are plastic surgery accusations? It’s societal behavior such as this that pressures people, especially those in the spotlight, to fight against the natural aging process. Additionally, when a high-profile person steps out not looking like themselves, calling it “pulling a Renée Zellweger is incredibly offensive. Yes, the actress changed, but equating her with something such as plastic surgery, as opposed to her achievements, is almost inhumane and minimizing her to just one negative news cycle. Zellweger, Thurman, Olsen, and others deserve more than being reduced to a bad photo.
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