Why did Helen Hunt reject Hollywood’s beauty standards? Actress reflects on years of ‘misery and shame’

Veteran Hollywood actress and director Helen Hunt gets candid in an interview with The Flow Space about the beauty standards in Hollywood. She shares her experience of letting go of these standards in order to free herself from the shame and misery that they caused.

The 61-year-old Hollywood star is known for her roles as Jamie Buchman in Mad About You and as a single mother in As Good as It Gets. Helen Hunt’s acting career has won her one Academy Award, four Golden Globe Awards, and four Primetime Emmy Awards.

Hunt believes that Hollywood's unrealistic beauty standards create excessive pressure on actresses to conform to a specific appearance. As a mother and an industry veteran, she shared that after years in the business, she has learned to release herself from the beauty expectations placed upon her.

Helen revealed that during the early period in her acting career, she often felt “misery and shame” about her appearance.

“It felt impossible not to internalize the way you’re supposed to look. And there was a certain amount of misery and shame around not looking exactly that way,” she told the outlet.

“I realized, ‘This could quietly ruin your whole life.”

And so Hunt made a conscious effort to unbound herself from Hollywood’s unrealistic and intensely cruel body shaming that actresses in the 90s were subjected to.

“I made a decision: I’m not playing. Not gonna [let it] take up a lot of space in my mind.”

Helen Hunt speaks about body image

In the June cover story of the health and wellness magazine The Flow Space, Helen Hunt discusses the importance of prioritizing her well-being and mental health over societal beauty standards. The What Women Want actress shares that she has adopted a relaxed approach to life, taking up yoga, meditation, and taking long walks.

“I went, ‘Oh, right.’ I took a class when I was 18 and thought it would change my life and, then blew it off. But pain is a really good motivator,” She discussed meditation, explaining that a friend recommended it to her because her health suffered due to too many acting projects.

“Just showing up and doing it, over time, I think it matters. For me, it’s not even like I want to do it to feel good. Now I have to do it to not feel bad!” she added.

Helen Hunts gives credit to the book, The Only Diet There Is by Sondra Ray for its guidance during her health journey. She revealed that the book helped her have a balanced relationship with food.

“What I took from it is eat what you want and love every bite, period,” Hunt stated.

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Helen Hunt also discussed rekindling her relationship with old flame Jeffrey Nordling and the challenges of parenting. Interested readers can explore the full cover story on The Flow Space.

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