This ^^ is a photo of Salma Hayek outside of Stella McCartney’s runway show during Paris Fashion Week today. I know the fashionista know-it-alls will yell at me for not knowing this, but how is that Stella gets to show during Paris Fashion Week and not London Fashion Week? I don’t get it. Is her line owned by Francois-Henri Pinault in some way? Eh.

Anyway, continuing with our ongoing series, “Salma Hayek is pretty much like Goop these days, only somehow WORSE,” she has a new-ish interview with Stylist. You can read the full thing here (it’s very, very long), and here are some highlights:

Coming to Hollywood from Mexico: “They thought I was crazy. You have to remember that at that time, there was no-one working in Hollywood who was Mexican. It was like a taboo. Isn’t that crazy? You could not get a job if you were Mexican. The people I was auditioning for would make fun of Mexico and frankly, would make fun of me too, like, “What are you doing here?” It was humiliating. I felt, “How stupid of them not to give someone a chance because they are from another country.” I was shocked. I hadn’t experienced discrimination before, but even if I had, it would still be stupid. It doesn’t change how stupid it is, discrimination, whether you have experienced it before or for the first time. It doesn’t justify it – it’s just dumb.

Typecasting Latinas: “Many times it made me want to give up. Like anybody in any job, you confront mediocrity – and I am sure every woman can identify with what I am saying – there are so many times when the choices of people in charge are silly, yet you are helpless. For example, I had many situations where they would say, “That was brilliant. If you were American, you would definitely have got the job. If you could get rid of your accent, you would be perfect.” That’s silly. If I moved you, if this character would gain something by my interpretation, what do you care? I would understand if the role was for a Norwegian model – I’m wrong for the part. But if the role is a waitress, sometimes they would say, “It’s not a Mexican waitress.” So they would say “no”. I think I changed it. I think Jennifer [Lopez], myself and Penélope [Cruz] changed it. That generation. We had it tough. Now it’s a lot easier.

Being broke, wearing Chanel: “At some point, here in LA, I went completely broke, and I remember looking at my designer clothes, they were so expensive – I was very much into Chanel at the time – but I knew I couldn’t pay the rent with them. I would go to auditions in Chanel too but they didn’t get me parts or pay the rent. I remember realising how useless the designer clothes were. I needed a job – it was hard.”

Advice to women: “You have to believe in yourself. You have to take care of yourself, work for yourself, believe in yourself, and also be patient with yourself. Learn when not to push too hard, and give yourself a break. Make sure that what you want is what you want, and not what society expects of you, or how you can impress the idiots. It’s what you want.”

How she defines feminism: “It means being proud of being a woman, and [having] love, respect and admiration and the belief in our strong capacities. I don’t think we are the same, women and men. We’re different. But I don’t think we are less than men. There are more women than men in the world – ask any single woman! So it is shocking that men are in more positions of power.”

American violence, Mexican violence: “[Violence] is a reality. I do wish there were other realities shown about my country, but the redemption with this is that at least it shows that the Americans are just as involved. There are tens of thousands of deaths in Mexico, but do you know where they get the arms? They all come from America, and no-one talks about it. It’s disturbing to the point where you can’t sleep. It’s even more disturbing when you think that it actually happens. Have you heard about the city of Juárez? The women that disappear? Over 600 women, between the ages of 16 and 24, cut into pieces, mutilated, burned. This has been happening for a long time.”

Playing a character (in Savages) who is trapped in her house: “She’s in jail. A little bit like fame. I forget I’m famous. I live in France and the French are too cool to display any kind of excitement if you are famous, especially where I live, so I completely forget. I have it good.”

Where she’s happiest: “I am happiest with my family in the country, whether it’s my ranch or the country house close to Paris. I like the outdoors, I love gardens, plants, trees. I’ll go for a hike, or take a run in the park. I like the simplicity and the complexity of nature, and the beauty. I love the different seasons, because I grew up by the beach where it was always hot. Or I really enjoy a good football match. I adore it. I know I should be saying, “I love my shopping sprees,” but that’s what I like. I love soccer. It’s something that ignites my fire. I become very, very passionate and, at the same time, very emotional about it. I’m tough, but it’s one of the few things that can make me cry.”

[From Stylist]

I tend to think Salma plays a little fast and loose with the details of how “broke” she was when she first came to Hollywood. She comes from a wealthy family, she was already a famous actress in Mexico, and while her family might not have been supporting her financially in LA, SHE STILL HAD CHANEL CLOTHES. I’m sorry, but any story about poverty which includes the phrase “I was very much into Chanel at the time” IS NOT A STORY ABOUT POVERTY. It’s like saying, “I was once so poor, I was only living on the interest from my investments.” #richbitchproblems

Photos courtesy of WENN, Pacific Coast News.