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Jennifer Lawrence was placed in ‘nude line-up’ during an audition

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Jennifer Lawrence was placed in ‘nude line-up’ during an audition

Since Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct claims were revealed in a New York Times piece on Thursday, October 5, several people have come forward with further experiences of industry harassment. Jennifer Lawrence (who has already condemned Weinstein’s alleged conduct) is now coming out about a terrible encounter she claims she had in the early days of her career.

“When I was much younger and starting out, I was told by producers of a film to lose 15 pounds in two weeks,” the Oscar winner remarked on Monday at the Elle Women in Hollywood event. “[It was] sort of crazy. One girl before me had already been fired for not losing enough weight fast enough. During this time a female producer had me do a nude line-up with about five women who were much, much, thinner than me. We are stood side-by-side with only paste-ons covering our privates.”

“After that degrading and humiliating line-up, the female producer told me I should use the naked photos of myself as inspiration for my diet,” Lawrence, 27, added with a chuckle. “I can laugh now, it’s OK.”

Lawrence tried to advocate for herself by discussing her experience with the project’s producer and director, but she received no help.

“He asked me to star in a porno as the character, among many other things that are too inappropriate to repeat here in this dress,” she said of the director’s reaction, according to USA Today.

What was the producer’s response? “He said he didn’t know why everyone thought I was so fat, he thought I was ‘perfectly f**kable.’”

Jennifer felt “trapped” since she believed she had to treat herself “a certain way because I felt I had to for my career,” but she’s still embracing it as a personal learning lesson about what she deserves in life. “I’m still learning that I don’t have to smile when a man makes me uncomfortable,” she said. “Every human being should have the power to be treated with respect because they’re human.”

To return to the initial feeling, perhaps there is a silver lining in the Weinstein controversy after all. As Lawrence puts it, “the experience of women sharing these stories of sexual misconduct in the workplace is oddly unifying.”

In a strong statement at the same event, fellow A-lister Reese Witherspoon said she was sexually abused by a director when she was 16, but that agents and producers encouraged her to stay quiet.

Emmy Rossum was asked to audition in a bikini because the director “wanted to know if she was fat now,” while Mila Kunis was told she’d “never work in this town again” if she didn’t pose semi-nude for a magazine cover. No one owes an explanation for their weight, and no one should feel obligated to come out about harassment they’ve witnessed in order for the rest of the world to believe it occurs. However, Jennifer’s new remarks put even more light on a widespread problem in Hollywood.

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