Jennifer Lawrence thinks public fat shaming should be against the law because of the effect it has on young girls, something the "Hunger Games" star knows about firsthand.
The 23-year-old sat down with Barbara Walters recently as part of the veteran anchor's "Top 10 Most Fascinating People of 2013" and vented about her views on weight criticism.
Urgent: Do You Approve Or Disapprove of President Obama's Job Performance? Vote Now in Urgent Poll
"Why is humiliating people funny?" Lawrence asked Walters. "I get it, I do it too. We all do it. ... But I think when it comes to the media, the media needs to take responsibility for the effect that it has on our younger generation, on these girls that are watching these television shows and picking up how to talk and how to be cool. ... So then all of a sudden being funny is making fun of the girl that's wearing an ugly dress.
"And the word fat!" she continued. "I just think it should be illegal to call somebody fat on TV. I mean, if we're regulating cigarettes and sex and cuss words because of the effect it has on our younger generation, why aren't we regulating things like calling people fat?"
Last month, Lawrence talked about the bullying she experienced as an up-and-coming actress.
"I was young. It was just the kind of s— that actresses have to go through,"
the Oscar winner told Harper's Bazaar UK in a cover story for the November issue. "Somebody told me I was fat, that I was going to get fired if I didn't lose a certain amount of weight. They brought in pictures of me where I was basically naked, and told me to use them as motivation for my diet."
Controversy over Lawrence and the media's fat shaming resurfaced again last week when a GIF popped up online showing the actress' untouched and retouched cover photo for the June 2011 of Flare magazine
Bloggers and Twitter users were outraged by the blatant Photoshopping of Lawrence in a picture they argue didn't need to be touched.
"Why is this even necessary? For crying out loud," Jezebel's Rebecca Ray wrote. "I mean, they moved her bones around. What weird ass 'Conventions of Perfect Beauty' seminar did I miss that says the bones in your chest/neck area need to be way down lower otherwise OMG SO UNSIGHTLY AND GROSS."
Lawrence appears in the upcoming crime drama "American Hustle," which hits theaters Dec. 20.
Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames.
Editor's Note: ObamaCare Is Here. Are You Prepared?