Jennifer Lawrence clapped back at the sea of online commenters who devoted entirely too much time on Tuesday to criticizing her sartorial choices. The actress, who rarely uses social media, posted a message to critics and supporters alike who created a false narrative around her decision to wear a stunning Versace dress to a promotional event for her latest project, Red Sparrow, in London.
"I don't really know where to get started on this 'Jennifer Lawrence wearing a revealing dress in the cold' controversy," she wrote to her more than 16 million followers. "This is not only utterly ridiculous, I am extremely offended. That Versace dress was fabulous, you think I'm going to cover that gorgeous dress up with a coat and a scarf?"
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Preach, girl.
"This is sexist, this is ridiculous, this is not feminism," she added. "Over-reacting about everything someone says or does, creating controversy over silly innocuous things such as what I choose to wear or not wear, is not moving us forward. It's creating silly distractions from real issues."
Tuesday's conversation was dominated primarily by two sides: those who believed she was setting a bad example for being "inappropriately dressed," and those who felt that Lawrence was pressured or forced into wearing something more revealing than her male costars.
True equality means either Jennifer Lawrence getting a coat, or Jeremy Irons having to pose for a photocall in assless chaps.
— Helen Lewis (@helenlewis) February 20, 2018
I’ve seen your beautiful suits and coats. Why don’t you respect Ms Lawrence enough to dress her appropriately for the weather? Sexism is alive and well.
— Nancy (@nanpdx) February 20, 2018
It must be about 3 degrees in London ATM, cold enough that the bloke actors have to wear coats and scarves to their press call and yet poor Jennifer Lawrence is wearing a small amount of fabric some might call a dress. pic.twitter.com/GoVfPscRWi
— Stephanie Peatling (@srpeatling) February 20, 2018
It's hard to believe we're having this conversation in 2018, but here we are: If Lawrence wants to wear Versace in freezing temperatures, that's 100% her choice. She has complete agency over her own body, and unless she indicates that she's uncomfortable, we probably shouldn't assume it's our job to save her. Sometimes, it's truly better to withhold from jumping on the Twitter bandwagon until we've got all the facts.
Of course, it's not like Lawrence isn't used to people attacking her or speaking out on her behalf. She's been active in the fight to close the wage gap in Hollywood, a noble cause which has unfortunately drawn criticism from people who believe actresses should stop whining and be grateful for what they have. More recently, she told Entertainment Tonight that she would be working with Represent Us in an effort to "get young people engaged politically on a local level." Shortly after right-wing media outlets reported the news, trolls began bashing Lawrence as a "libtard" elitist on a mission to destroy conservative values.
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The truth is, Lawrence has been dealing with critics since the moment she stepped into the spotlight. Someone will always feel like they know better than she does. But she's still standing.
With skin this thick, who needs a jacket?
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