Not holding back. Euphoria fans have seen Barbie Ferreira‘s character, Kat Hernandez, deal with body image issues on the show — and the pressure “of being this person who loves themselves” is just as difficult for the actress in real life.
“I think bigger bodies are not as ‘trendy’ as they used to be, which is really sad to me. 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,” Ferreira, 25, shared during an interview with Who What Wear on Wednesday, February 2, referring to her character’s journey in season 2 of the HBO Max hit.
The model noted that some fans expect her to always have a perfect relationship with her body, saying, “It’s so funny that people just assume that. Did I say that? I never said that. You guys just say that. You posted that on me.”
Ferreira also pointed out that society isn’t as inclusive as people may think — which can be frustrating for those who don’t fit the mold.
“It’s not radical for me to be wearing a crop top,” the Unpregnant star explained. “[Comments like those are] just backhanded compliments. I’ve been doing this since I was 16. I’m 25.”
Viewers watched Kat go through similar problems during the second episode of Euphoria‘s sophomore season, which premiered in Janaury. While struggling with her body image, Kat imagined herself being surrounded by social media influencers who try to project their own messages of self-love onto her. The models pressured Kat with reminders to “love herself” and to “smash all beauty standards” until she hit back, saying, “I don’t care about society! I feel like s–t!”
Ferreira, for her part, explained that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic played a major role in how she was able to tap into those feelings onscreen.
“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,” she added on Wednesday. “I hope other people [watching] can also feel the same way and release the pressure of being perfect and happy all the time. Because that just doesn’t exist.”
The New York native, who has been on the HBO Max series since it debuted in 2019, previously opened up about taking back control of how her body is perceived.
“Reclaiming that word felt empowering,” Ferreira told the Los Angeles Times in September 2020. “‘Fat’ used to be the worst thing I could ever be called. But ‘fat’ is not a bad word. I really had to train myself to think: Being fat is the least of my problems. Am I a good person? Am I responsible? Am I talented? I’m still training myself, I think.”
At the time, the Nope actress admitted that she still had room to grow when it comes to feeling comfortable in her own skin.
“Sometimes I’m like, ‘I’m the hottest girl in the world!’ And sometimes I’m like, ‘I’m the ugliest girl in the world!’ That doesn’t come from logic, and I essentially look the same in both scenarios, but it’s just my feeling,” she said. “Sometimes I love talking about it, and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I’m fed up that I have to even acknowledge my body. People don’t ask thin people: ‘How do you have the confidence to go outside? How do you have the confidence to wear clothes?’ I have been called brave just for existing my whole life.”