Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood criticized a Vogue Italia article published in 2007 that took her “down a few pegs” as a young actress. The article criticized a topless photoshoot Woods did with photographer Ellen Von Unwerth for Flaunt magazine at the time, calling her an Alfred Hitchcock blonde “without the sophistication or the truly great murder plot.” Wood also took complained about how her latest comments would be covered by the media.
On Sunday, Wood was looking for old photos to share on her Instagram Story when she came across the Vogue Italia story and remembered a “feeling or worthlesness” came over her before she remembered it is “all a lie.”
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“So, I decided to do a ‘throwback’ photo rollout on instagram and while looking up old photos of mine, I stumbled across this. A familiar feeling washed over me. This feeling of worthlessness. Then I remembered its all a lie,” Wood wrote. “I posed topless for an [Ellen Von Unworth] photoshoot and ‘Giulia Blasi’ at #Vogue, no less, decided to take me down a few pegs. Look at the narratives that are assigned to women. Look at the way we make their looks their value or what makes them ‘interesting.”
She continued, “Look at how they judge my life at 18 years old without giving a second thought as to what my situation might have been, look at the way they assume my posing was 4 them, to make them like me, instead of me just living my best life with 1 of my favorite photographers… and not giving a damn what anyone thought about my body. It just makes me really sad, thats all. That this is the respect we give women in the industry.”
A hew hours later, Wood shared her concern that her words would be characterized as “slamming” vogue in the media.
“I’ll say this again and again until its heard, when a woman says she is hurt or concerned its not an ‘attack’ I am not ‘having a meltdown’ nor am I ‘angry,’” the Mildred Pierce actress wrote. “In fact, the words I used to describe my feelings were ‘worthlessness’ and ‘sadness.’ Which is why I decided to say something and empower myself. But sure, call it ‘fury’ or whatever other biting words you want. I will keep pointing out this particular pattern until it changes.”
In the Vogue Italia article Wood criticized, a writer named Giulia Blasi criticized her for posing nude. Balsi wrote that “at twenty-four she is far too young to be sophisticated” and wrote that “what she still seems to lack is that crucial imperfection that makes people interesting. And posing nude will not give her that.”
Wood has long fought to raise awareness of how women are really treated in the entertainment industry and has been a vocal supporter of the #MeToo movement. She was also open about her own experience with sexual harassment and assault. Back in November 2016, Wood revealed to Rolling Stone she was raped twice and shared a letter she wrote to the magazine about the rape.
“Yes. I’ve been raped. By a significant other while we were together. And on a separate occasion, by the owner of a bar,” Wood wrote at the time. ”I don’t believe we live in a time where people can stay silent any longer. Not given the state our world is in with its blatant bigotry and sexism.”
Photo credit: Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
