‘Objectified doesn’t capture what was happening to me at the time’
Megan Fox has opened up about how being overly sexualised in Hollywood affected her mental wellbeing, saying she believes she suffered a “genuine psychological breakdown”.
To mark the 10th anniversary of horror comedy Jennifer’s Body – in which Fox starred as the titular character – the actor sat down with the film’s writer and executive producer Diablo Cody for an in-depth discussion about their careers on Entertainment Tonight.
During their conversation, Fox spoke about how at the time of the film’s release, she was being sexualised by “every producer” she worked with.
“Objectified is like, it’s not the right word, it doesn’t capture what was happening to me at the time,” the 33-year-old said.
“It preceded a breaking point for me, where I had, I think, a genuine psychological breakdown.”
Fox explained she purposely avoided being seen in public due to the “fear” that she was going to be “mocked”, “spat at” or “yelled at”.✕
“I didn’t look perfect. I was too fat. I was too thin. I was stupid. I was offensive. I was a waste of space. I was a bad actress, whatever. All of the things you can think of, I anticipated experiencing that because my belief system was from what I had experienced,” she said.
The This Is 40 star also spoke about the #MeToo movement and how, prior to its recent and rapid growth, she did not feel as though people listened when she opened up about being mistreated in Hollywood.
“I was sort of in front of the #MeToo movement before the #MeToo movement happened,” Fox said.
“I was speaking out and saying, ‘Hey, these things are happening to me and they’re not ok’. And everyone was like, ‘F*** you, we don’t care, you deserve it because of how you talk, because of how you look, how you dress, because of the jokes you make’.”
Cody expressed a similar sentiment, saying that she still fears she will be judged because of her former work as a stripper.
“I have a lot to say [about the #MeToo movement] but to be honest, I am still terrified people will say, ‘Well she was a stripper, we don’t care. Does she really have a right to talk about being sexually objectified or being put through s*** in Hollywood?’” the writer and producer said.
During the pair’s one-on-one conversation, Fox admitted she doesn’t feel as though there is a “space in feminism” for her, despite considering herself a feminist.
The actor explained she often feels excluded from public feminist discussions.
“I feel like feminists don’t want me to be a part of their group,” she said.
“And what are we talking about then, what is feminism, what is supporting females if there’s only certain ones of us you support?”
The actor, who has three sons with husband Brian Austin Green, said that becoming a mother provided her with a new perspective on the world.
“I think it took getting pregnant – that was the first real breakthrough where my consciousness shifted and my mind opened up and I was able to see from a bird’s eye view and breathe and take it in,” Fox said.
“And then another kid, and then another kid and with every kid I feel like that’s always been the doorway into a better version of myself.”