50 Famous Earth Day Quotes - Sayings About Saving the Planet

What Melissa McCarthy Has Said About Weight Loss And Body Positivity

Barbara Streisand commented on Melissa McCarthy's recent Instagram, asking if McCarthy took Ozempic, the weight loss drug.

McCarthy's post pictured her en route to a theatre gala in Los Angeles over the weekend.

The 53-year-old has previously shared her thoughts about discussing weight.

On Monday, Melissa McCarthy shared a photo of herself en route to a gala in Los Angeles in which she wore head-to-toe mint green; a ruffled dress and sleek blazer. Most fans flocked to the comments to compliment her radiance, but what singer Barbara Streisand wrote caught the world off-guard—Streisand asked McCarthy if she took Ozempic, the type 2 diabetes drug popular, in part, for its weight loss side effect. Though the comment was deleted, McCarthy responded—showing no ill will to the iconic singer. But what has McCarthy said about weight loss in the past? She's consistently chosen to focus on body positivity and overall health.

Below, we set the record straight on exactly where McCarthy stands on dieting and weight loss—and how, naturally, she's made her point of view funny along the way.

She loves that Barbara Streisand "thinks I look good"

In response to Streisand's Ozempic question, McCarthy posted a video with the caption: "@Barbarastreisand fan club members only." She said her takeaway from the singer's comments were that: "Barbara Streisand knows I exist. She reached out to me and she thought I looked good. I win the day."

At 53, McCarthy leans into self-acceptance

You may recall that The Little Mermaid Star was honored in People's 2023 Beautiful Issue. And while she, of course, had to make a joke about the acknowledgment ("Did my mom and my dad have the two main votes?"), she shared that, in all seriousness, her glow comes from contentment. "Somewhere in my 30s, I was like 'I'm okay with who I am,'" she told People. "And if someone wasn't thrilled with that, that's okay too. At some point, I was like, 'They're not all going to like you.' You have to learn that the hard way, but it's a good [lesson]."

Her weight has fluctuated since she moved to Hollywood

It's not necessarily anyone's business what a scale reads when McCarthy steps on it, but she has shared that her weight has fluctuated since she moved to Los Angeles in the '90s. Her lifestyle changed significantly after she joined the improv troupe The Groundlings. "I stopped walking and ate shitty food. I was in good shape, then suddenly I gained 25 pounds," she told Rolling Stone in 2017.

Since then, she's "been every size in the world," she told Us Weekly in 2013. "Parts of my 20s, I was in great shape, but I didn't appreciate it. If I was a six or an eight, I thought, 'Why aren't I a two or a four?' Now I feel like I have two great kids and the dreamiest husband on the planet, and everything else is just a work in progress."

She fell into the trap of fad dieting

After securing her role as Sookie St. James in Gilmore Girls in the early 2000s, McCarthy went on a doctor-advised all-liquid diet, which led her to lose 70 pounds. "I'd never do that again," she told People in 2011. "I felt starved and crazy half the time."

Red carpet designers declined to dress her

"When I go shopping, most of the time I'm disappointed," she told Redbook in 2014. "Two Oscars ago, I couldn't find anybody to do a dress for me. I asked five or six designers—very high-level ones who make lots of dresses for people—and they all said no."

After too many of those experiences, McCarthy took matters into her own hands. She has designed clothes for Lane Bryant and launched her own Melissa McCarthy Seven7 line in 2015, which is no longer in production.

"Seventy percent of women in the United States are a size 14 or above, and that's technically 'plus-size,' so you're taking your biggest category of people and telling them, 'You're not really worthy.' I find that very strange," she told Refinery29 in 2015. "I just think, if you're going to make women's clothing, make women's clothing."

In 2019, she told WSJ magazine that she was working on a more accessible label, but no news has come of it since.

Body shame set in when she was young...

"I do think I worried about weight too soon, when it was only little-kid weight," she told Rolling Stone. "I thought I battled weight throughout high school, but I look back at pictures of me as a cheerleader, doing sprints, lifting weights, doing gymnastics, playing tennis, and while I wasn't reed-thin like some girls ... I was a size six the entire time. So what on Earth was I freaking out about?"

...Which is why she wants to change the conversation for today's youth

In 2016, McCarthy shared an image of a mirror with a warning label on Instagram. The label read: "Reflections in this mirror may be distorted by societally constructed ideas of beauty."

In her caption, she wrote: "We have to stop categorizing and judging women based on their bodies. We are teaching young girls to strive for unattainable perfection instead of feeling healthy and happy in their own skin."

Even when she lost 50 pounds, you didn't see her celebrating

Headlines exploded over McCarthy's 50-pound weight loss in 2015 which happened in tandem with her action-packed role in Spy. Ironically, she said the weight left when she stopped obsessing over it. "I truly stopped worrying about it," she told Life & Style. "I think there's something to kinda loosening up and not being so nervous and rigid about it that, bizarrely, has worked."

Even then, she cautioned the public not to get too... Excited about the change. "I have [lost weight], but I'll be back again," she told Refinery29 in 2016. "I'll be up, I'll be down, probably for the rest of my life. The thing is, if that is the most interesting thing about me, I need to go have a lavender farm in Minnesota and give this up. There has to be something more."

She's quick to point out that men aren't as scrutinized for their size

McCarthy has been open about the egregious questions she's received on her physical appearance over the years—and the double standard that exists when it comes to men in Hollywood and their looks. "There are so many more intriguing things about women than their butt or their this or their that. It can't be the first question every time, or a question at all," she told Refinery 29. "It's like, 'Can you imagine them asking some of these guys I work with, 'How do you keep your butt looking so good?' It would be like, 'What the f*ck are you talking about? Why are you asking about the shape of my butt?'"

In a 2018 interview with AARP, she shared a similar sentiment. "No one's asking a man, how do you keep your legs in shape? Which I've been asked," she recalled.

She doesn't want weight to define her

In fact, she doesn't want it to define anyone. "I just find it dumb and boring. I really do," she told AARP. "I think every time we categorize people—by weight, by race, by gender—we put them in boxes and it's not a good thing for the world."

Related Stories

Kayla Blanton is a freelance writer-editor who covers health, nutrition, and lifestyle topics for various publications including Prevention, Everyday Health, SELF, People, and more. She's always open to conversations about fueling up with flavorful dishes, busting beauty standards, and finding new, gentle ways to care for our bodies. She earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Ohio University with specializations in women, gender, and sexuality studies and public health, and is a born-and-raised midwesterner living in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and two spoiled kitties.

New Season Of 'Bridgerton' Applauded For Body Positivity: 'For The Curvy Girls'

Reactions from fans and viewers began pouring in online after the new season of "Bridgerton" dropped this week, with some celebrating the new leading lady, Nicola Coughlan, who plays the role of Penelope Featherington in the hit Netflix series.

The third season of "Bridgerton," which focused heavily on the relationship between Coughlan's character and Colin Bridgerton, portrayed by Luke Newton, has drawn praises from audiences who applauded the series for showing body positivity in the leading female role as well as seeing it being romanticized and desired.

Nicola Coughlan plays the leading female role as Penelope Featherington in the third season of "Bridgerton."

Netflix

Before the premiere of the new season, Coughlan revealed during an interview with Stylist that she was certain to be "very naked" in a scene, adding that it was her idea and choice.

"I specifically asked for certain lines and moments to be included," she recalled. "It just felt like the biggest 'f–k you' to all the conversation surrounding my body; it was amazingly empowering."

'Bridgerton' season 3 sneak peek shows sweet moment with Anthony, Kate: Watch here

Coughlan said she worked with intimacy coordinator for "Bridgerton," Lizzy Talbot to make it happen.

"And you go, 'OK, what do I want to show, what don't I want to show, what's scripted and what do I want to add?'" she said.

Coughlan is glad of her decision to do the intimate scene.

"I feel great about it, because not only did I consent to it but I drove it," she explained. "There's a reason this show became a phenomenon: It's about women feeling desire, owning their sexuality and driving the charge in those situations rather than just being an object of a man's affections."

Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan appear in a scene from season three of "Bridgerton."

Liam Daniel/Netflix

In fact, while speaking to the Los Angeles Times in a recent interview, she said she found the process of shooting scenes with her co-star Newton, creatively satisfying and liberating.

"By the end of the day, we were both lying under a blanket, not clothed, just chillin'," she told the outlet. "We were like, 'This is why nudists do it.'"

In response to the new episodes airing on the streaming service, one TikTok user expressed their admiration for the new storyline.

"Can we just talk about how refreshing it is to see a plus size person being romanticised and seen as desirable and being featured in raunchy scenes without it being some awful joke," the user wrote. "Everything about this season is amazing so far."

To anyone with body image issues: 'Don't wait on your weight to live the life you want'

Meanwhile, a user on X highlighted the positive representation that the new season brought to the women with ample figures.

"This season of 'Bridgerton' is for the curvy girls who have always been shown in media as the punchline & never the romantic lead," the user wrote. "This is for the plus size girls who deserve to see themselves portrayed as sexy, desirable & lovable. This season means so much."

What to stream this weekend: 'Bridgerton,' Billie Eilish and Zayn Malik albums, 'American Fiction'

What to stream this week: Willie Nelson, Chip & Joanna Gaines, Jim Henson and Benedict Cumberbatch

Black Lives Matter activist loses lawsuit against Los Angeles police over 'swatting' hoax response

Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan appear in a scene from season three of "Bridgerton."

Liam Daniel/Netflix

Another user on X added, "Going to sleep knowing I wake up to new Bridgerton episodes (with a plus size female main character)."

In the past, Coughlan had called out those who trolled her online about her appearance, saying in an Instagram caption, per Huffington post, "If you have an opinion about my body please, please don't share it with me."

"It's really hard to take the weight of thousands of opinions on how you look being sent directly to you every day," she added.

Opening up in an interview with Irish Times shortly after, she said, "All I care about is the work. Bodies change, if I lose weight or gain weight or I do anything it's no one's business, all I care about is doing good acting and being judged on that."

Season 3 of "Bridgerton" is available to stream on Netflix.

People On TikTok Are Helping Each Other Pay Off Their Debt

TikTok is being dubbed the new GoFundMe with its latest trend.

GoFundMe is a popular platform where users can raise funds for personal and charitable causes.

By posting videos on TikTok, users hope to attract views to raise money and pay off their debts.

This trend has skyrocketed in recent days. The hashtag #payoffdebt stands as number two in trending, per TikTok. It currently already has 29,000 posts.

How are people on TikTok helping each other pay off their debt?

Videos following this trend typically begin with the uploader stating their motivation for participating. Instances range from individuals seeking aid for medical expenses to grappling with student debt and other needs.

One instance features a young mother playing with her two children. She discloses her fundraising goal is to purchase a helmet for one of her children. The accompanying caption reads, "Insurance has denied it twice so coming to TikTok instead."

"I've done the math and in order for TikTok to pay for a helmet for this little guy, I need about four million of you to watch this video for at least five seconds, which has already passed, so thank you," she says.

Additionally, she notes that the video must be a minute long for her to qualify to earn money from it, thus, for the remaining duration, she allows the video to continue playing while playing a game with her children.

Other users post along similar lines, doing things such as filming nature, talking or showing crafts while they explain their needs.

This trend has garnered positive reception. Users express excitement at the possibility of helping each other by doing nothing more than watching each other's videos.

One video depicts a man urging viewers to tag him in their videos, expressing his intent to watch and provide support.

"This is incredible," he says. "At zero cost to any of us, right? What an impact we could have."

How do people make money on TikTok?

The Creator Fund is the method TikTok uses to determine which creators on their platform to allocate money to.

In order for participants of this trend to qualify they must meet the stipulations required by the Creator Fund.

The criteria, according to TikTok, mandates that participants be at least eighteen years old, have at least 10,000 followers, and have at least 100,000 video views in the last 30 days.

These prerequisites pose a considerable challenge for many average users, but upon fulfilling them, anyone can become eligible to earn money.

The amount of money people make varies from day to day. According to Business Insider, it can be anywhere from pennies to $17 per 1,000 views.

CEO of Viral Marketing Stars, Katya Varbanova, told Business Insider that TikTok is like GoFundMe "but instead of money, the currency is attention."

---