Ariel Winter on her body-baring backlash: ‘It’s complete sexism’

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Ariel Winter is featured in the newest issue of Rogue Magazine. This is my first experience with Rogue and I kind of like it. They have a dynamic layout and I love their styling. Ariel’s photos are bombshell sexy, because that’s her thing. I’ve never really seen Ariel model before, only pose on red carpets. She’s not bad in these shots, I love that top pic. In the article, Ariel discusses starting her career so young (age four) and how it has actually helped her with some of the negative aspects of fame. Specifically, being able to rise about the backlash she receives for her racy Instagram photos. Only this time, she broadens her argument from body/slut shaming to good old-fashioned sexism. Ariel claims Hollywood can’t handle looking at a shapely woman.

Ariel Winter is best known for her role as Alex Dunphy in the hit comedy series Modern Family, has grown up before our eyes, officially ringing in adulthood while celebrating her 18th birthday this past January.

“At this stage, you get sort of jaded after a certain period I feel like I’ve
been in the industry for so long that I have gotten to that point where people’s
comments and the exposure doesn’t bother me as much,” she admits. “I mean it still bothers people when you get negative feedback for something, but it doesn’t hit me as hard as it would somebody just entering the industry.”

Multiple articles abound questioning her choice of photos on Instagram
and berating her for flaunting her sexuality at such a tender age.

“It’s called being a woman in the industry,” she says. “It’s complete sexism.”

Winter says that plenty of men in the “industry” would never receive the same criticism
if they posted similar photos. Instead, she says, they would probably receive
laughs or applause with the press lauding their exploits as what the public expects
from them.

“It’s really degrading, annoying and sad that this is what the media puts out,” she
says. “It’s disgusting to me.”

“I’ve gone through a whole bunch of things, both in my personal life and my professional
life and they’ve all contributed to where I am now,” she says.

“I’m definitely very opinionated, and I’m very passionate,” she says. “Oh yeah, and I
guess I try to be funny.”

[From Rogue Magazine Digital Edition]

“Multiple articles abound questioning her choice of photos on Instagram and berating her for flaunting her sexuality at such a tender age. “It’s complete sexism.”” That’s my problem, right there. Ariel may not want to deal with negative criticism but she is also not listening. The majority of people who take exception to her pictures come from the angle of her youth, not her figure. I don’t dispute that there is sexism in Hollywood, but I disagree with her point about “if a man did it”. I think if that man were an eighteen-year-old boy wearing an open shirt and shorts that allowed his derriere to hang out, he would receive backlash.

I support a person’s right to wear what they want when they reach adulthood (I had to write the “reach adulthood” bit for my children who might those words against me during their adolescence.) However, the only time I ever read about Ariel is when she is pointing out her own photos. Even though she says she’s only posting her pictures for her own enjoyment, when she receives criticism, she decries body/slut shaming! and now sexism! My problem is that when that chatter falls quiet, she posts photos like (NSFW) this or this. And the only way I know about the new risky photos or the criticism it received is from Ariel. Is that freedom of expression or baiting?

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Photo credit: Irvin Rivera/Rogue Magazine and WENN Photos

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54 Responses to “Ariel Winter on her body-baring backlash: ‘It’s complete sexism’”

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  1. annaloo. says:

    Baiting.

    • smith says:

      She has a bit of the Lena D. tendency to post certain kinds of photos (or say/write certain things) that illicit strong polarizing responses and then complains when people comment.

      She acts like a child. She IS a child with no grounded parental life force to help her along the way, even if it’s simply explaining how to dress and behave as a young lady.

      Hopefully as she matures she’ll grow out of this “phase.”

      Lena – same goes for you.

  2. JA says:

    Thirsty? Extremely parched? Baiting? Desperate for attention??? You pick!

  3. K37744 says:

    Boring.

  4. Gena says:

    She’s a pretty young woman but she doesn’t seem to know how to dress for her body type.

    • Aren says:

      Any non-skinny person should be able to dress any way they want.
      However, Ariel goes out with her ass-cheeks hanging out and then complains that people would react differently if it was a male doing it, when in fact, I don’t think they would.

  5. Lemon says:

    I find her to be completely annoying and thirsty. Maybe it’s Hollywood kids but nobody my age would show this much skin for fear of being called thirsty. Like in my opinion there is a big difference between her and someone like Rihanna, who is like the anti-thirst.

  6. lucy2 says:

    It seems like she became more confident in herself and maybe wanted to break out of the “kid actor” stage, and she started trying to be provocative. I don’t think it’s uncommon around her age, but I don’t envy her going through these phases of life in the public eye and maybe not fully realizing how she is contributing to that.
    She seems like a smart young woman, so I hope soon she refocuses on her work, her education, etc, and not so much on her appearance.

  7. EMc says:

    Thirsty, yet pretty normal for her age I think.

  8. swak says:

    Justin Bieber is constantly criticized when he does naked butt pictures or the couple times his frontal nudity had been put out there. There are many times male celebrities are told to pull up their pants over their butts. So women may get more criticism, you can’t say men don’t get it also. Plus, if you are posting on Instagram for your enjoyment then make your Instagram private were the general public can’t get to it. (Disclaimer: I don’t do Instagram but I’m assuming you can control who sees it. Maybe someone can enlighten me if I’m not right!)

    • Mel M says:

      No you’re right, you can make it private. Like I’ve said before in her posts, she’s clearly not just doing it for her own enjoyment or she wouldn’t be posting it for the world to see. She does it for attention and then whines when she gets it if it’s not the type she wants. Same ol same ol. So much eye rolling.

    • Aren says:

      Exactly was I was going to say. Bieber got the same reaction to his butt pics and has threatened to make his instagram private if people keep being mean to him.

    • Otaku Fairy says:

      “Justin Bieber is constantly criticized when he does naked butt pictures or the couple times his frontal nudity had been put out there… So women may get more criticism, you can’t say men don’t get it also.”
      Right, but there’s a world of difference between getting the “That’s not attractive, you’re so not sexy, you’re try hard, you’re clearly thirsty, and plus we don’t like you anyway because of your years of crappy behavior you baby douche” treatment that Bieber gets (and that’s usually the worst criticism he gets for it) and the “You’re trash, you lack self-respect/esteem, you’re not welcome in the feminist movement, you’re degrading (which literally means to lower in value) yourself, you’re a bimbo, you’re a bad role model for women and girls, (or whenever it happens to be a woman of color, it becomes about her being a bad role model for women and girls of color too) you’re a sl*t/skank/thot/wh*re/self-objectifying woman, keep your clothes on to prove you have a brain, you lack morals, you’re responsible for underage girls being trafficked, that’s not empowerment for you because it’s not respectable, admirable, or comfortable for ME, you’re probably a yatch girl/slept with directors to get your fame, you’re too fat to be dressing like that anyway* (this last one applies to Ariel more than the other women because her body isn’t the Hollywood status quo), you’re promiscuous, prostitution, exploitation, where are your parents, so sad, yadda yadda yadda”-type prudery that’s pretty much the regular commentary when women do it.
      Sometimes likability of the person plays into it too though- Channing Tatum gets not a word of criticism for capitalizing on nudity and sexuality while expressing feminist beliefs because of both his gender and his popularity, while someone like Emily Ratajkowski or this girl get their feminist cards revoked for it. Pink is probably the only one who escapes the usual misogynistic narrative other women get because of her popularity, her body-type, her age, and the fact that she’s not in the media all the time. Many Pink fans love to let everyone know how they consider her ‘like, WAAAY above those other loose women…because reasons.”

  9. eggy weggs says:

    Show as much flesh as you want when you’re 18, young lady. Just spend a little more money on it and make sure the fabric/stitching looks quality. The hot pants above? I don’t mind those. They look well made and designer. Most the other stuff I’ve seen her in looks like super low-quality fast fashion. If she wants to run around in her underwear, she should check out some pretty, old-school corsets with steel bones and lovely embroidery.

    • Nicole says:

      Yeah but she clearly has no taste, those would do far more flattering things than butt cheeks hanging out of denim shorts, methinks.

  10. Dominique says:

    Unless people have something nice to say, I don’t know why they see it necessary to comment mean things on her Insta. That said, I hate when people say “‘I’ve gone through a whole bunch of things, both in my personal life and my professional life and they’ve all contributed to where I am now,” she says.'” like, yeah, duh? Every action whether it’s as monumental as auditioning to be be on TV, or deciding to have oatmeal or a fruit-rollup for breakfast contribute to where we are in this moment. I don’t know, it just sounds silly. Your life’s events are what make it YOUR life. lol!

    Long story short: Hollywood types say a lot of nothing in their interviews.

    • sunny says:

      That’s just how life and the real world operates. If you want to do something, have at it. But people aren’t going to only say nice things. That’s a totally unrealistic expectation. Either have confidence and do what you want or don’t. Just don’t whine about how sexist and mean everything and everyone is when you don’t get treated like the second coming.

      • Van says:

        Also I’m on Instagram and have a private account – those exist, Ariel, so you really can do it just for your own enjoyment (and close friends and family) if you choose, however, you do not. I don’t get why people say stuff like that then cry foul when people comment on a public post.

        I also think she should be allowed to dress however she likes, but she shouldn’t be surprised when she constantly, publicly addresses the subject of her body and people give their opinion. You can be body confident and proactive without showing off every inch of flesh, but if you do decide to show off your entire body that’s your business, but you shouldn’t be shocked if people comment on it.

  11. Whatwhatnot says:

    Profusely dehydrated. Sorry but she dresses tacky and trashy. It’s not flattering to her body and it’s definitely NOT sexy. And it has nothing to do with her figure. It’s just her style is terrible. Her IG reeks of desperation, attention-seeking and low self esteem.

    • Otaku Fairy says:

      ‘Low self-esteem’ is pretty much the automatic response people have to any woman who isn’t as ‘classy’ as they prefer her to be no matter who the woman is. It’s a generalization that’s usually made without any consideration to the individual person’s beliefs and comfort zones because it comes from old-school gender-based stereotypes about women, modesty, and self-respect. I don’t think what Ariel is doing is about low self-esteem ( I don’t see prioritizing ‘Here’s what I want’ over ‘but it will take me outside of the lines of the majority’s idea of ‘respectable, palatable, classy lady’ as an automatic sign of low self-esteem). I think she’s playing the celebrity “How can I use social media and the public’s attention to promote myself” game.

      • Kay says:

        Your lectures never fail to entertain. 😛

      • sunshine gold says:

        Eh, I agree with Whatwhatnot. She seems like a classic low self esteem case….take away all the fancy analysis, and it’s good old fashioned “I need attention because it makes me feel better and I’m going to get it anyway I know how.” And, let’s be honest, posting a bikini/butt shot is going to get a lot more attention than a fully clothed one.

      • Otaku Fairy says:

        For someone like her though, no attention= no career (at least not in Hollywood) so I think she’s reaching for some of the easiest ways to not fall off people’s radar (selfies, social media, and being noticed) while she doesn’t really have a whole lot going on career wise (or with some celebrities, it’s about promoting something they have coming up).

  12. MC2 says:

    I just hate her style. Seriously- her choice in clothes is horrible and I’ve wondered if she does it on purpose. That green swimsuit she wore with cut off shorts & got a lot of flack for was not just because it was skin baring. Girl- it was fugly to the core.

    I am not sure about this one but my sad bells keep ringing that there is something off….

  13. estelle says:

    I hope she’s saving her Modern Family money…

  14. LisaMarie says:

    Baiting, but pretty standard for her age. The cringe is probably going to hit her big time in a decade or so.

    • sunshine gold says:

      That’s only if she does some major evolving and maturing, which is not a guarantee when you’re a messed up child actor.

  15. shewolf says:

    I think we’ve all been there at 18. I’m glad no one was doing interviews of me when I was 18 otherwise I’d be mortified at 35 now!

  16. Peach says:

    Anyone who says mean things about someone’s looks is a jerk, plain and simple. I agree that adults can wear whatever they want and if you don’t like it, just unfollow them on social media. That said, I think some people conflate body confidence and narcissism. If she was just wearing these outfits and got papped it would be a different story. But when you’re posting photos of yourself to social media all the time because you think you look hot, that’s mostly vanity. And there is nothing wrong with that until you start b*tching that people aren’t just fawning over how sexy you are. If you’re putting this out there to promote “body confidence”, then have to confidence to take some healthy criticism and/or concern.

    • Tatdaisy says:

      I agree. If people are criticizing her body type/shape or physical appearance, or using terms associated with slut-shaming – they’re totally out of line. Full stop. But I take issue with the notion that negative attention automatically correlates to misogyny or sexism. Most people understand how to dress if they want attention, and frankly there’s nothing wrong with dressing for attention if it makes you feel good (unless your going to a funeral, I suppose). I like wearing low-cut tops because it makes me feel sexy (despite my small to non-existent assets). Mind you, I’d never in a million years wear a cleavage-bearing top to work or to a family dinner, but if I’m at the mall – sure. And if I get some whistling or pearl-clutching, I really don’t give a shit. I feel like you ought to own it, which means accepting you can’t control the type of attention you receive, only your response to it. If she said something like, “people don’t like it for (whatever) reasons, but it’s okay because I like it” I’d be on board. But using feminism as a safety blanket to throw over your head whenever someone says something you dislike or challenges a choice you’ve made is completely missing the point of feminist ideology.

      • Peach says:

        I agree with you whole-heartedly on every point.

      • Otaku Fairy says:

        For me a low-cut top isn’t usually even a matter of seeking attention, it’s just a matter of ‘well, this is the t-shirt/tank-top/blouse I’m wearing today’ and not wanting to bother with looking for another shirt just because of a neckline. But when I wear stilettos, that usually is attention-seeking in some way.
        As far as ‘owning it’ goes, some people may be fine with not criticizing problematic reactions to it. But for other people, doing what they want AND criticizing certain types of negative reactions to it is part of the owning it, because as women we’re taught that we’re not supposed to do it that way. For Ariel Winter, ignoring certain types of negative responses doesn’t seem to be in line with her beliefs and the way she wants to market herself. I think it’s safe to assume she’s smart enough and feminist enough to know the difference between a negative response like “That outfit is ugly. It doesn’t look flattering on you. And please go away” vs. negative responses that imply that she’s too big to be showing skin or a ‘trashy skank’ who has to be suffering from daddy issues and a lack of self-respect in order to be willing to dress in a way that people don’t find appropriately chaste.

  17. sunny says:

    Personally it’s just extremely boring and trite at this point. Oh look another child actress is stripping off. Yawn. Want to be revolutionary and shocking? Cover up and act like a sensible and respectable person. It’s so rare nowadays that it would astonish everyone.

    I don’t think it’s sexism, this person is utterly unlikable and obnoxious and wants to blame sexism for their own personality flaws and less than stellar public perception. No…YOU are the problem, not your clothes. Although your clothes are also terrible.

    • Adele Dazeem says:

      This 100000000 times over. Perfectly stated, sunny!

      • sunny says:

        Thanks Adele. Apparently we are wrong though, the site’s resident expert on how we should think (her way, of course!) is here to tell us how we’re so wrong! Because….Jesus I guess. I seem to always attract a diatribe from this individual. Lucky me!

      • Otaku Fairy says:

        There’s a difference between being told there’s only one right way you’re allowed to think… and someone being critical of a belief you expressed publicly. Until members of the “Anti Political Correctness” crowd realize that, they’ll always feel like their right to their opinion is being violated.

    • Otaku Fairy says:

      “Want to be revolutionary and shocking? Cover up and act like a sensible and respectable person.” You mean that olde thing where we maidens are supposed to earn respectability though dressing like ladies? Chances are, if somebody’s ancient religious book told women to do it thousands of years ago, and if the Evangelical Christians and their ilk have been squawking at women to do it, telling women to do it in 2016 is probably not some radical, revolutionary new shit, y’know? What’s next step in the revolution, get married and have a baby? Oh wait, I jumped too far ahead……where’s that scripture that tells us to be submissive to our husbands?

      • sunny says:

        Do you have some kind of a bat signal or something? You are always on these comments vociferously defending the “right” to dress inappropriately. maybe you don’t need one, you need to become one because that’s an awful lot of projection on your part. I didn’t bring up religion and am not religious so please don’t lay your weird issues with it onto me. Thanks. And btw I have my opinion on it and all your tumblr “I took a women’s studies class!” shtick is also very boring. Nobody asked you to agree or approve so good day to you.

      • Saraya says:

        Ouch, Otaku Fairy just got owned.

      • Otaku Fairy says:

        Where did I say you were religious? I said your belief- that we need to earn respect by covering up- is nothing new, shocking, or revolutionary. Pointing out that the religious right, their sexists, and their apologists already beat you to the idea that you just called shocking and revolutionary isn’t the same as saying that YOU’RE religious…although, since you’ve mentioned before on this site how unfair you think it is that republicans get a lot of criticism for their beliefs, it’s surprising that the comparison is offensive to you. Tumblr has nothing to do with it.If you want to use your right to free speech to voice your opinion on the internet, then you have to accept the fact that not all of the internet is going to be like A Voice For Men, Red Pill, Breitbart, or any of those other sites where you can express old-school beliefs about how women are supposed to behave without anyone saying why they have a problem with those beliefs. So you’ll have to find a way to handle the….boredom…of seeing your beliefs criticized. Sounds fair, right? 🙂

  18. Robin says:

    If she were only posting photos for her own enjoyment, she wouldn’t be posting for the world to see.

  19. Ennie says:

    I hate to compare her to Courtney Stodden, but something reminds me a little to her. Maybe it is the thirst.
    I don’t like Kardashians, much less their wannabes.

  20. Bobo says:

    If anyone has a problem with how Ariel dresses, they should also have a problem with the way Kylie Jenner dresses…

  21. kimbers says:

    She’s trying to sound wise and she isnt yet.

  22. Erica_V says:

    When you turn 18 – dress however you want. But up until that point you are a child. A child showing off your ass cheeks. I (and all sensible people) don’t want to see the ass cheeks of a child. I’m not a sexist or a “body-shamer” because I think your under-aged T&A is appropriate.

    Why is this such a hard concept for people to understand?

  23. my3cents says:

    So tired of these barely out of diapers girls using sexism and feminism for all the wrong reasons. Study up, learn a bit. Right now it just look like a teenager going through her rebellious phase.