No Hollywood star has ever been spared from body shaming, especially the women, and "Homeland" star Claire Danes is no exception. She earlier revealed that she and her good friend Lena Dunham have been "criticized for having different body types - I was too skinny, and she was too big.... I feel like my body is...commented on infinitely more than my male counterpart."
Now, during an interview with Allure, the actress who portrays the brilliant CIA agent Carrie Mathison shares some positive pearls of wisdom on how people should deal with body shaming.
"It's just so ingrained in us, the idea that we should take up the right amount of space, literally and figuratively," Danes said. "I've wrestled with this my whole life, as just a person in the world and as somebody who makes images. It's okay to want to look and feel your best. It's okay to work at being attractive, whatever that means to you. And it's also okay to not expect to be defined by that. It's okay to be powerful in every way: to be big, to take up space. To breathe and thrive."
Danes admitted that she cares more about criticisms directed at her work as an actress rather than her figure or appearance.
"I'm very vain about my performance. I want to give as honest a performance as I can. But I'm not so worried about being regarded as beautiful when I'm playing a character," she said. "I have plenty of vanity in my life. I want to look pretty in the world. But it can be this bottomless pit. I know some of the most beautiful women on the planet - unequivocally, objectively friggin' gorgeous - and they are rife with insecurity and self-doubt, and you just think, 'Well, how can that be?'"
Danes feels confident about her appearance, saying that she might not be the most beautiful actress but at least she is "attractive enough."
"I can do the work I want to do. I've found this wonderful man who wants to make out with me. I'm good," she said.
However, Danes wants to clarify that she is not entirely "fearless" as an actress despite what other people are saying.
"Oh, I'm full of fear. I care about things; therefore, I have fears," she explained. "I like to think that I'm brave, which is different. Brave means you're able to admit that you care. If you care, you are vulnerable."
