What Did Ashley Benson Say About Eating Disorders?

In this blog, we will cover what Ashely Benson (PLL fame) said about eating disorders, the fashion industry’s obsession with being thin, the damage eating disorders do, the road to recovery, Ashley’s words and advice, and the answer frequently asked questions. 

What Did Ashley Benson Say About Eating Disorders?

Ashley Benson who is one of the stars of pretty little liars is a staunch critic of Hollywood’s culture of being skinny to look pretty. The photoshopping of the show’s poster is what made Ashley go forward on her journey against these unhealthy practices. 

This is what she said, “Even for magazine covers, they’ll photoshop out a mole, make your boobs bigger or your waist four sizes smaller, and you’re like, ‘That’s not even me,’” Benson said. “You never know how it’s going to turn out..” 

I once received a call informing me that I was too fat for a role. At the time, I was a size two, and they told me I was too fat for the role. I asked, ‘Am I a size two?’ I was in tears,” she added…

Why women shouldn’t just accept their flaws, you have to understand that it’s a visual medium, and people are going to see you based on that.

Media and unrealistic standards

It places out an announcement concerning photoshopping in 2011, that read, “A massive body of literature links exposure to media-propagated pictures of impossible body image to consumption disorders and different kid and adolescent health problems…. 

‘The look of advertisements with extraordinarily altered models will produce unrealistic expectations of applicable body image.’” Benson continued, “There’s so much pressure to look a certain way and be a certain way, and it’s so unhealthy. 

You need to love yourself first, and that’s the most important thing.” Benson, who has spoken out about her struggles with eating disorders, has been an advocate for body positivity for years. 

In 2011, Benson spoke about the photoshopping that occurs in the fashion industry, particularly when it comes to magazine covers. ‘ she said that you will never be able to predict how the poster is finalized, you would hear such things and you assume that you do not look nice without photoshopping.

Fashion industry’s obsession with thinness/skinniness

Benson isn’t the only one who has criticized the fashion industry’s obsession with thinness. Celebrity stylist and fashion designer, Val Garland, has also spoken out against the pressure to look a certain way. “I think the whole industry does it. It’s a visual medium, and people are going to see you based on that,” she said.

For Benson It is really important to be able to spot that the images we all are being subjected to, affect our kids who are growing up watching these. it is necessary that women look the way they want to and just stop letting others control them how they should appear.

Benson has maintained a strong sense of self, despite all the criticism and harassment she has faced throughout her career. It is for this reason that she is such a powerful voice for body positivity. 

In an industry where women are constantly being told to look a certain way, Benson refuses to conform. For Benson, the message is clear: You don’t have to fit into a certain mold to be beautiful.

How much damage can eating disorders do?

Benson recalled that she would experience crippling anxiety and had once suffered panic attacks every single day. “I would get panic attacks for two years. 

I would have panic attacks in my sleep,” she said. “I would wake up and I would be sweating and shaking. But rather than let her anxiety hold her back, Benson decided to speak out about her struggles to help others.”

Benson explained. “You feel like you’re going to die, and the first thing you think about is killing yourself. It’s horrible.” After seeking professional help, Benson learned that her anxiety was actually caused by panic attacks.

Benson credits her health and happiness to a combination of healthy habits and specific techniques that she has learned to employ when she feels anxious. These include meditation, exercise, sleep, eating well, and drinking water. 

Benson has also found that practicing yoga has significantly reduced her anxiety. Fortunately, Benson has been able to adopt healthy habits that help her cope with her anxiety.

If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.

The road to recovery

Benson has learned to turn to her mind for comfort when her body feels anxious. “I have to figure out a way to make myself happy and turn to that,” she said. Benson also practices meditation, exercise, and sleep to help her cope with her anxiety. 

Luckily, over time, Benson was able to find strategies that allow her to manage her anxiety without medication.

Benson has since developed coping strategies that allow her to manage her anxiety, including meditation, exercise, sleep, good nutrition, and water. The model credits these strategies with helping her to feel better than she has in years. 

“Fortunately over time, I’ve developed strategies to help me cope, including meditation, exercise, sleep, good nutrition, and water,” she said. “The panic attacks have become less frequent and, when they do occur, I feel OK almost immediately afterwards.”

Benson has since developed strategies that allow her to cope with her anxiety, including meditation, exercise, sleep, eating well, and drinking water. She has also spoken about the role that relationships play in our mental health, explaining that when you are in a positive environment, it is easier to feel positive about yourself. 

Benson has been able to maintain a strong sense of self, regardless of the criticism she has faced throughout her career. It is for this reason that she is such a powerful voice for body positivity.

Benson has worked hard to combat the negative effects of her anxiety, and has developed coping strategies that allow her to function on a daily basis. She finds meditating, exercising, sleeping, eating well, and drinking water incredibly beneficial, and has been able to manage her anxiety through these means. Benson’s openness about her anxiety has allowed others to learn from her experiences, and to find strategies that work best for them.,

Ashley Benson – the vocal activist

Ashley Benson isn’t always afraid to talk out on troubles near her heart, and she’s a vocal endorsement for body positivity. She does not pull away from taking to challenge individuals who sell unrealistic frame standards.

Benson recently opened up about an incident in which a promotional poster for Pretty Little Liars left her and her co-stars gobsmacked. The image, which was designed to be shocking to attract viewers, featured only Benson’s body and revealed very little else about the scene she was in. “I had no idea what was going on, and I was standing there like, ‘What is this? What is happening right now?’”

The image featured Benson’s face, but her body was pixelated out completely. “There was a time when we went to pick up our promotional poster for season seven and it was just us,” Benson said. “And then all of a sudden my face was on the poster, and my body was pixelated out.”

But it is not just Benson, her co-stars Troian Bellisario, who is best known for her role as Spencer on “Pretty Little Liars,” told Seventeen that as a teenager she would “withhold food or withhold going out with [her] friends” as a way of punishing herself. 

Lucy Hale, who is best known for her role as Aria on “Pretty Little Liars,” said she would sometimes “go days without eating.” And in 2013, Shay Mitchell, who is best known for her role as Emily on “Pretty Little Liars,” told SELF that during her modeling days she would control the way she ate.

 

Benson’s advice to all

Benson, who has also been open about her complex relationship with food, explained that learning to disregard comments like this is key to maintaining healthy self-esteem. To her, it is necessary that you ignore comments which do not matter to you. and you got to just continue being you and not give a damn about how other people perceive you.

“I have been able to do that by just continuing to be me and not caring what other people think.”, Benson is a powerful voice for body positivity, and she does not shy away from taking to task those who sell unrealistic frame standards.

Conclusion

We discussed what did Ashely Benson say about eating disorders, fashion industry’s obsession with thinness, damage done by eating disorders, Ashley’s words, and advice to all.

Frequently asked Questions (FAQs): What Did Ashley Benson Say About Eating Disorders?

Did Lucy Hale gain weight throughout PLL?

“You made sense such as you needed to uphold a kind of image [the whole time]”, Hale instructed the magazine. … “I did gain a little bit of weight, and seeing how human beings reacted to that surely messed with my head,” Hale explained.

Did Ashley Benson take acting classes?

Yes, She used to take acting classes with Vanessa Hudgens as a teen

Did Hanna in PLL have an eating disorder?

The maximum apparent instance of PLL’s dangerous depictions of consuming comes through the man or woman of “Hefty Hanna,” the moniker given to a major man or woman Hanna Marin whilst she suffered from binge consuming disorder.

Did Ashley Benson wear a fat suit in PLL?

She revealed that the Pretty Little Liars star appeared in a feature at one point. ‘I was merely told I was too overweight for a role,’ says the actor. ‘I’m a two-size-up!’ I cried for 30 minutes, but you have to let it roll off your shoulders or you’ll develop an eating disorder.

What Mental Illness Did Mona Have in PLL?

multiple personality disorder

She and Spencer get right into combat close to a cliff and Mona is by chance driven off. She survives, however, and is dedicated to the Radley Sanitarium, after being recognized with multiple personality disorder

Who plays Hanna Marin in PLL?

Ashley Benson plays Hanna Marin in Pretty Little Liars. She also appeared in a few films on the side, including Pixels in 2015 and Chronically Metropolitan in 2016.

References

https://twentytwowords.com/actress-ashley-benson-reveals-the-ugly-truth-behind-her-pretty-little-liars-promotional-photos/-too-fat-for-a-part
https://www.thelist.com/226156/the-untold-truth-of-ashley-benson/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3384327/I-cried-30-minutes-Size-two-Pretty-Little-Liars-star-Ashley-Benson-reveals-just-turned-role-FAT.html

https://www.bustle.com/p/lucy-hale-reveals-how-pretty-little-liars-affected-her-body-image-21762810https://www.self.com/story/ashley-benson-had-the-best-response-to-being-told-she-was

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