‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ Star Amandla Stenberg Attempts To Clear-Up That Whole Cleavage-Related Twitter Kerfuffle
There has been a recent trend of celebrities angrily responding to criticism of their work online, which never really seems to work out in their favor. The latest celeb to jump on the trend is Amandla Stenberg, the star of A24’s new comedy slasher Bodies Bodies Bodies.
Stenberg intensely responded to a New York Times review of the film which called it a “95-minute advertisement for cleavage.” The actress didn’t like the phrasing of the review and decided to message the writer, Lena Wilson, on Instagram. “Your review was great,” Stenberg wrote in a DM that was shared on Wilson’s Twitter account. “Maybe if you had gotten your eyes off my tits you would’ve watched the movie!” This didn’t land well.
Wilson took to Twitter to share her response: “Hey, Amandla! Generally a big fan of your work, but this sure is something. Really wishing you well in your career and life. Have a nice night.” In order to clear the air and hopefully not cause more drama, Stenberg took to her Instagram to react, saying that she is “baffled” by people always commenting on her appearance and chest.
The actress says that she sent the message to be funny, and didn’t mean to cause drama, but she is “tired” of people talking about her chest. “The amount of commentary that I’ve received on my boobs is so extreme, and this has happened since I was a teenager.” Stenberg first rose to fame when she starred in The Hunger Games as a young tribute named Rue in 2012. “There seems to be a lot of unwarranted conversation around my chest that kind of baffles me.”
Stenberg finished the video by wishing Wilson the best, and saying that it’s important to hear criticism of her work. Bodies Bodies Bodies hit theaters last week, and also stars Maria Bakalova (breakout star from Borat Subsequent Moviefilm), Rachel Sennott, Myha’la Herrold, Chase Sui Wonders, Lee Pace, and Kim Kardashian’s ex, Pete Davidson.
Check out the full transcript of Stenberg’s video below:
I just thought I would get on here really quickly to say I’m receiving a lot of commentary on the internet for being a very naughty girl and sending a DM that I thought was hilarious. But basically, there is this film critic. Her name is Lena Wilson, and she writes for The New York Times, and she wrote a criticism of a movie that I just had come out called ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies,’ and she described in her review the movie as a ’95-minute advertisement for cleavage,’ which I thought was hilarious. I am proud that a piece of work that I was part of was described in such a renowned publication. That is a really unique experience that I get to have.
Alright, OK, listen, I thought it was hilarious. I thought because Lena is gay, I am also gay, I thought as gay people we would both find this comment funny. I was also curious to know what Lena would say to such a statement, but Lena decided to publish it and also say that I am homophobic for saying that. The intention of why I said that – and this is my experience as an actress – it’s quite surprising, I mean, it shouldn’t be surprising I guess at this point – the amount of commentary that I’ve received on my boobs is so extreme, and this has happened since I was a teenager.
I could literally be wearing a t-shirt, and just because of the size of my boobs, there will be some sort of sexualization or commentary on my chest. In this movie, I’m wearing a tank top, and I know that when I’m wearing a tank top, the result is there’s going to be some cleavage, because I have boobs. So I knew this comment was mostly directed towards me and I think Lena was trying to make a commentary about A24 sexualizing me, sexualizing my body, exploiting young women in order to sensationalize them in order to make their media more popular. I understand the angle. I can tell you that I wore this tank top in this movie because me and the costume designer thought that it fit the character well. And so I do get tired of people talking about my chest. It seems to be in Hollywood it’s not normal to have boobs that are above an A or a B cup. I’ve actually noticed this as my time as an actress. There seems to be a lot of unwarranted conversation around my chest that kind of baffles me. Anyways Lena, I thought your review was hilarious, I thought my DM was funny, I did not mean to harass you, I did not mean to wish you any harm. You are allowed to make criticisms of my work, and I am allowed to have my criticisms of your work, and that is A-OK with me. And I wish you the best. Anyways, thank you, guys. Thanks to anyone who has gone to see our 95-minute advertisement for cleavage.