Anya Taylor-Joy, the 27-year-old model turned actor, who rose to fame after starring in the low-budget horror movie The Witch, found herself in the spotlight again when past comments about feeling insecure over her appearance resurfaced on social media.
In a 2016 interview with W Magazine, when she was just 20 years old, Anya was immediately asked about her facial features and whether she had ever felt “self-conscious” about them.
The very first question posed to Anya was about her eyes, with the interviewer remarking, “You have those beautiful eyes and they’re so far apart. When you were a kid, did they make you self-conscious?”
Anya revealed that she had been made to feel insecure after being tagged in Facebook photos that made fun of her eyes, and it had a profound impact on her self-esteem.
“I can definitely remember when Facebook was a thing and I was never aware that my eyes were far apart and then someone tagged me in a picture with a fish and they were like, ‘This is you ’cause your eyes are like here,’” she recalled, expressing her hurt over the cruel comparison. The experience left her unable to look at herself in mirrors for a long time, and she admitted to avoiding mirrors even now because she doesn’t want to “deal with” her face, as she feels others do.
Anya shared that she was still “growing into” herself and feeling “less awkward” as time went on. “I’m kind of growing into myself. I’m a bit less awkward. Though I’m still growing a lot. I’m still getting taller – I grew like 2 inches last year,” she said, showing that she was still navigating her sense of self and finding her confidence.
As news of Anya’s past comments spread on Twitter, fans rushed to defend and support her.
Many expressed their admiration for her beauty and criticized the societal pressure to conform to unrealistic beauty standards perpetuated by the entertainment industry. Some even quoted singer Ariana Grande, who recently spoke out against commenting on others’ appearances, stating that it’s harmful to judge and criticize someone’s body.
“This is heartbreaking. It’s simply because she looks ethereal, and not like the cookie cutter influencer/Kardashian image that’s absolutely friggen everywhere,” one person wrote, highlighting the narrow definition of beauty in today’s society. Another person echoed the sentiment, stating, “She’s gorgeous, people need to leave her alone.” Many Twitter users called for kindness and acceptance towards others’ appearances, urging people to stop making hurtful comments about someone’s looks.
Anya’s past experience with feeling self-conscious about her appearance serves as a reminder of the damaging effects of societal beauty standards and the harmful impact of online bullying. It’s a poignant reminder to be mindful of our words and actions towards others and to embrace diversity and individuality in all forms of beauty. As Anya continues to flourish in her career and navigate the public eye, it’s clear that she is much more than her physical appearance and deserves to be celebrated for her talent and accomplishments without the weight of unnecessary criticism.
