14 DAY TRIAL // Emma Thompson is one of the most vocal feminists in British showbiz, not once missing the opportunity to use her star power to draw attention to topics close to her heart. Her most recent interview with the Daily Mail is no exception, with the 51-year-old star lashing out against the industry for telling girls and young women only a size 0 is acceptable in front of the cameras.
A couple of years ago, Thompson again made headlines on the same topic, when word got out in the media that the movie studio told one actress on “Brideshead Revisited” that she must lose some weight, no buts about it. Emma threatened to quit and violate her contract if the actress in question started to starve herself only to keep her job – and she would have, had things ever gotten this far, she says.
“Absolutely! I would have broken my contract and taken the story to the press. I am a bit of a fundamentalist about all that size zero stuff – I would have made a big, fat fuss. That was no joke. I would have walked off the set,” Thompson explains in the interview. Her message for all women in that situation is simple: “Put on weight and say [expletive] off! Demand bigger sizes. Go into places where you can’t get a 38D bra and say, ‘I want a 38D bra and give me one. If you can’t, I am never coming here again’,” she urges.
Though she’s relentless when it comes to the whole celebrity culture, when it comes to her 10-year-old daughter, Gaia, Emma chooses to let some things go. Like allowing her one pair of high heels, though that might make her less of a feminist in the eyes of many, for somehow telling her daughter she needs to wear heels to be accepted. The reason behind her decision is different, though, Emma explains.
“I only fight the battles I really think have to be fought. Some of the battles I will lose on purpose, so that she gets a sense of power over her own existence. I thought, you know, I am not going to push this. I can’t walk in high heels, but actually I would like her to be able to walk in heels because they look nice. And she loves them. I loved them when I was little. If I had been allowed to have high heels I would have been so happy, but no. So she has a little pair of high heels,” the actress adds.