Christina Hendricks is bored of talking about her body. Though, judging by her new New York magazine cover photo, she knows we’re not bored of looking it at.
While “bored” is definitely not the verb I’d use to describe my immediate reaction to the Mad Men star in a lacy white corset and red Rapunzel locks, I understand where she is coming from. When you work hard and do well at your craft, but all anyone wants to talk about your body it would get old quickly. Or, as she says, “It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”
This then brings up a conundrum for those of us who know and love Christina. The line between objectification and glorification is a fine one. She is a certainly an undeniably talented actress. So for me the fact that she is, as the article says, an “especially attractive version of the same thing women have had forever — curves” only ads to my adoration.
Still, it’s also easy to see why she’d be upset at the attention:
It kind of hurt my feelings at first. Anytime someone talks about your figure constantly, you get nervous, you get really self-conscious. I was working my butt off on the show, and then all anyone was talking about was my body! …. It might sound silly, but I didn’t realize I was so different. I was just oblivious. Sometimes I would go on an audition and someone would say something like, “Girl, you’re refreshing!” That was it.
Refreshing, definitely. In a world full of models who look like lamp posts with limbs and actresses who dine on mineral water and gossip, Christina is bound to stand out. But, as with any woman, her body doesn’t define her. As she told the magazine: “Back when I was modeling, if someone said ‘I’m fasting,’ I would say, ‘Can’t we talk about something else?'” Certainly, just keep posing for those photos — m’kay?
