We often incorrectly ascribe super-human traits to our favorite celebrities. Just because they live their life in the limelight doesn't mean that they're unaffected by the words and actions of others.
In a recent interview with WhoWhatWear, Barbie Ferreira (star of HBO's Euphoria) dished on the several backhanded compliments that she receives on a daily basis and how society's narrow-minded understanding of self-love is holding us back.
Barbie began her love affair with the stage and acting when she was a young girl. Her first major success occurred after booking a photoshoot for American Apparel at the age of 16-years-old.
Barbie plays Kat Hernandez on HBO's Euphoria. In the series, Kat is a struggling teenager plagued with body-image issues — who later attempts to rewrite her own narrative by grasping hold of a newfound sense of confidence/budding sexuality.
One of which, for her character, is learning to love herself in a world that doesn't really want her to love herself.
In a recent interview with WhoWhatWear, she opened up about just that.
Negging is the proper term for a "backhanded compliment." It's an act of emotional manipulation designed to undermine a person's confidence and increase their need or desire for the manipulator's approval.
You might have even accidentally done it to someone yourself! For example, a sentence such as "Oh wow, you lost weight," isn't always the compliment that you think it is.
"But it’s more of a conversation of the fact that we all struggle with self-love, and I don’t think any young person has really figured it out yet,” she said.
"What — did I say that? I never said that. You guys just say that. You posted that on me,” the young star stated matter-of-factly.
Despite the many challenging moments, Barbie remains steadfast that the overall experience has been therapeutic and beneficial to her overall mental health and wellbeing.
Because as Barbie is quick to point out, that kind of mindset simply doesn't exist in the real world. Furthermore, just because she lives and exists inside a plus-sized body, that shouldn't be mistaken for confidence or an affirmation of self-worth.
In her opinion, stating anything to the contrary is a thinly-veiled attempt at a backhanded compliment. It also negates the difficult journey of learning to love yourself, in spite of society's stringent and narrow-minded definition of what constitutes beauty.
Therein lies the rub. According to Barbie, shopping and being able to properly express herself has always come with its own inherent and logistical stressors.
"I have all the resources in the world to get something that fits, and it’s still extremely difficult."
For women, in particular, it's incredibly hard to find clothes that fit, since everything is made so different.
"So I feel for everyone who’s still trying to find things that fit them," she said.
It's remarkable to think that someone as talented as Barbie may have yet to unlock their full potential due to the clothes that society affords them to wear.
If we've seen anything so far on Euphoria it is that she certainly knows how to steal the show. I, personally, can't wait to see what she does next.
