Kate Winslet is candidly sharing her thoughts on the rampant use of weight loss drugs. The 50-year-old actress offered her unfiltered perspective in a recent interview with the Sunday Times, published on December 6th. During the conversation, the Oscar winner expressed her concern about the current prevalence of these drugs. "It is devastating," Winslet said. "If a person's self-esteem is so tied up in their appearance, it's frightening."
She continued, "It's puzzling because I have moments when I think it's better to embrace one's natural self, as I see actresses at events dressed in their own unique styles, regardless of shape. But then I see so many people relying on weight-loss drugs. It's so varied. Some are making choices to be true to themselves, while others do everything they can to hide who they truly are."
Winslet added, "Do they know what they are putting in their bodies? The disregard for one's health is terrifying. It bothers me now more than ever. It's chaos out there."
The Avatar: Fire and Ash star also shared her wish that more women would embrace the natural aging process instead of opting for injectables like Botox and filler. "My favorite thing is when your hands get old," she explained. "That's life, in your hands. Some of the most beautiful women I know are over 70, and what upsets me is that young women have no concept of what being beautiful actually is."
She asked, "What idea of perfection are people aspiring to?" before noting that she blames "social media and its effect on mental health" for this phenomenon. Winslet, who skyrocketed to international fame at the age of 19 after starring in 1997's Titanic, also shared that she is no stranger to the punishing beauty standards for women in Hollywood.
"The media was vile, singling me out for relentless bullying," she recalled of her early days in the industry. "I wasn't ready to be a famous actress. I was so young, but I felt so invaded." During a 2022 appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Winslet said she wished she could "turn back the clock" and stand up for her younger self, especially in regards to the relentless body shaming she recalled enduring at the time. She said, "If I could turn back the clock, I would have used my voice in a completely different way...I would have said to journalists, 'Don't you dare treat me like this. I'm a young woman, my body is changing, I'm figuring it out, I'm deeply insecure, I'm terrified. Don't make this any harder than it already is.' That's bullying, you know, and actually borderline abusive, I would say."
