Kate Winslet reveals she was 'vilified' and body shamed by 'mainstream media' amid 'Titanic' fame: 'They were so mean'
Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet was in the spotlight intensely following 'Titanic's global success. The 47-year-old beauty often appeared in the press and was constantly followed by photographers. However, not all news was good; the celebrity apparently suffered from body shaming and was horrified to learn that she had been "vilified."
The Oscar-winning actress spent the 2000s fleeing from the cameras out of terror. In the past, she has claimed she was dubbed "blubber" and told to "settle for the fat girl parts." Winslet has devoted the last several years to advocating for women. Last year, she spoke on a BBC podcast for Woman's Hour and discussed how she is appreciating her beauty at 47 and encouraging other women to do the same. "I'm 47, there are bits that don't do what you want them to do anymore," Winslet stated. "There's something kind of fab about going: 'Oh well, that's just the way it is, isn't it?' " She went on, "But I think women come into their 40s, certainly mid-40s, thinking: 'Oh well, this is the beginning of the decline and things start to change and fade and slide in directions that I don't want them to go in anymore.' And I've just decided no."
'Some people just have nasty s**t to say'
In an interview with British Vogue, Winslet, whose daughter Mia Threapleton, 22, is breaking into the business, said about her three-decade career, "I'm not going to lie, I've absolutely learned how to look after myself the hard way." She continued, "What I really remember vividly is that when I did Titanic and was so thrust into the public eye, I was shocked and horrified by how vilified I was by mainstream media." The Titanic beauty further stated, "I think that doesn’t happen now. Sure, that stuff happens on social media, amongst people and the public sharing opinions – some people just have nasty s**t to say. But mainstream media behaving in these really irresponsible damaging ways – I do think that has actually stopped."
Winslet recently urged the "people in power" to "criminalize harmful content" when she accepted the leading actress award at the Bafta TV awards for her performance in I Am Ruth, in which she co-starred with her own daughter Threapleton. The icon uses her daughter and the rest of the Gen Z generation as examples of how media has changed through time and how it has influenced society. "They just don’t know fear when it comes to stepping out – they don’t know that bit. They just know, 'Yes, let’s go'," she stated.
Just last year, Winslet spoke out against the 'Titanic' body shamers who hijacked the movie's climax to make fun of her weight. The star claimed that rude fans remarked that Rose's size prevented Jack from having a chance to survive on the door made of wood. "Apparently I was too fat," the famous actress stated in an interview on the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast. "Why were they so mean to me? They were so mean. I wasn’t even f***ing fat." She continued, "I would have said to journalists, I would have responded, I would have said, ‘Don’t you dare treat me like this. I’m a young woman, my body is changing, I’m figuring it out, I’m deeply insecure, I’m terrified, don’t make this any harder than it already is.' That’s bullying, you know, and actually borderline abusive, I would say."