Showtime drama Yellowjackets has received a lot of high-profile love since its first season kicked off back in November. However, the positive has been mixed with some unwanted criticism toward lead star Melanie Lynskey. After having to deal with body shamers and comments about her appearance in the show, Lynskey has spoken out and made it clear that she’s not having any of that nonsense anymore.
In a recent Twitter post, Melanie Lynskey quoted a now-deleted Tweet from body positive influencer Ashley C. Ford. It was there that the actress laid out just what's wrong with body shamers’ logic, not that her weight or body is anyone else’s business in the first place. You can see the Tweet for yourself below, where she declared that "skinny does not always equal healthy:
The story of my life since Yellowjackets premiered. Most egregious are the “I care about her health!!” people…bitch you don’t see me on my Peleton! You don’t see me running through the park with my child. Skinny does not always equal healthy https://t.co/W2poMmsv1pJanuary 29, 2022
Why anyone feels the need to comment on someone else’s body is beyond me. Also, And also, it should be noted that the star is an absolute stunner. She’s a dark-haired beauty whose flawless stage presence goes all the way back to the ‘90s in Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures, and she looks as though she hasn't aged a day. In short, the Don't Look Up actress has had a successful career in TV and film and has looked beautiful while doing it.
Apparently, the body shaming has been coming from multiple places: fans of Yellowjackets on social media and individuals on set of the Showtime series. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Melanie Lynskey opened up about how she was shamed on set when a member of production suggested they hire a trainer for her. The Yellowjackets cast had her back, and Lynskey made it clear that it was important to her that her character be someone women could see themselves in.
Representation is important; it’s vital people are able to see themselves represented in media and for productions to be reflective of the world they are displaying. While Melanie Lynskey's role in Yellowjackets did this for some women, Jasmin Savoy added authentic representation for Black queer women to the series as well.
The Two and a Half Men alum isn’t the only one speaking out in distaste of her shamers. Her husband, Jason Ritter, also spoke out on Twitter to people who would have words about his wife’s, or anyone else’s body:
If anyone has any further unsolicited comments about *anybody* else’s body, they can feel free to write them in permanent ink onto their own foreheads and swan dive directly into the sun
Unfortunately, it's quite common to hear about Hollywood stars being shamed for not fitting into a specific kind of look. Jonah Hill has even spoken out about publications attempting to shame him. Thankfully, though, many are becoming more aware of the issue, and shows like Yellowjacket are doing a great job of representing women with varying body types.
Viewers were left with plenty of big questions following the end of Season 1 of Yellowjackets, and fans are heavily anticipating new episodes so that some of those questions answered. And hopefully, as the show progresses, cast members like Melanie Lynskey won’t have to defend themselves against body shamers.
While you wait for the hit drama to return, be sure to check out our 2022 TV schedule for other great programming options dropping throughout the year.
