Barbie Ferreira is over the bullshit.
In a new interview with Who What Wear, the model and actress talked about the conversational pitfalls surrounding the body positivity movement, particularly when it comes to issues of self love and toxic positivity.
"I feel like I had a lot of things come up emotionally because of the pandemic, and putting some of that into this season was therapeutic for me," Ferreira said, referencing the way her character, Kat Hernandez, also deals with these issues in the second season of Euphoria.
"I hope other people [watching] can also feel the same way and release the pressure of being perfect and happy all the time," she continued. "Because that just doesn't exist."
Ferreira then went on to explain that while the mainstream's embrace of bigger bodies triggered an important discussion about body inclusivity and positivity a few years ago, "bigger bodies are not as 'trendy' as they used to be" and a lot of people still don't understand what the movement is truly about.
"[It's] really sad to me," Ferreira said. "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."
For example, Ferreira talked about the so-called "praise" she regularly receives for wearing certain items of clothing, as "it's not radical for me to be wearing a crop top."
"[Comments like those are] just backhanded compliments. I’ve been doing this since I was 16. I’m 25," she said, before adding that it's also a lot when "people just assume" she must always love her body.
"Did I say that? I never said that. You guys just say that. You posted that on me," she continued. However, Ferreira also offered up one concrete suggestion to brands that say they support all bodies: Make clothing in every size.
"I have all the resources in the world to get something that fits, and it's still extremely difficult. So I feel for everyone who's still trying to find things that fit them," she said. ""I could do a seminar on this. I always think about the fact that if these clothes came in my size, I would be out here doing even more."
Read her interview conversation with Who What Wearhere.
Photo via Getty / Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic