Melissa McCarthy on body positivity: ‘I love all of it. I’ll take me as I am’

This is Melissa McCarthy looking hot in a leather bodice and tapered pants (is it a jumpsuit?) backstage the MTV Movie Awards. Melissa was awarded the Comedic Genius Award last night. It kind of makes me laugh that they are presenting this as ‘Melissa is the first woman to receive this award!’ when only three have ever been passed out. Still, I guess it’s a good start. And Melissa did not disappoint while accepting it; she crowd surfed to the stage and ended up throwing the actual award across the stage in a tussle with last year’s recipient, co-host Kevin Hart.

Melissa has more to celebrate: despite poor critical reviews, her movie The Boss duked it out for the number 1 spot this weekend with Batman vs. Superman. While promoting last week, she sat down with Jeff Cagle and admitted she hates being late, considers herself a fair and collaborative boss and finds the smell of skunks comforting, possibly because they remind her of the farm on which she grew up. Melissa also touched on her overall self view. Beyond body type, beyond personality, Melissa is happy with who she is – flaws and strengths alike.

Melissa McCarthy, who’s set to become the first woman to receive the Comedic Genius Award at Sunday’s MTV Movie Awards, likes herself just the way she is, thank you very much.

“I feel sexiest when I feel comfortable, when I feel most myself, when I’m not trying to be anything other than who I am,” she McCarthy told PEOPLE and EW editorial director Jess Cagle in the latest edition of The Jess Cagle Interview. “[I love] all of it: my flaws, my shortcomings, my body parts that you’re like, ‘Well, couldn’t that be better?’ I think, especially after having kids, I go, ‘Well, the alternative is pretty bad. I’ll take me as I am.’ “

[From People]

Not that anyone asked me, but this is the direction I would like the whole body positivity movement to go. I want my kids to grow up accepting all of what makes them who they are and not just what the kids on the playground call cool. I advocate working on yourself but do it for your reasons and not because some exterior force said you should. It sounds like Melissa’s mother taught her the same message. In her acceptance speech for her Comedic Genius Award, she thanked a number of influential female comediennes and then her mother whom she said, “… taught me not to fear being the butt of the joke or told me not about being likeable or perfect and to lovingly go for the kill.”

Next up for Melissa, of course, is Ghostbusters coming in July followed by the recently announced appearance on the Gilmore Girls revival *squeal*. She and husband Ben have just sold their next film, Life of the Party. And, of course, she has her fashion collection, Seven7, to expand. Melissa is a busy lady.

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Photo credit: Getty Images and WENN and Fame/Flynet Photos

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21 Responses to “Melissa McCarthy on body positivity: ‘I love all of it. I’ll take me as I am’”

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  1. LookyLoo says:

    Go, Melissa! Love her. She has an amazing energy about her.

    • ladysussex says:

      I agree! Her responses are always full of class no matter what hateful or misguided comments she’s responding to.

  2. Kate says:

    Hallelujah! I love her and I think she is a hugely positive influence. She is authentic! She admits that she has flaws but that she works to accept them. Being yourself is theBEST thing you can be. I am a tiny little woman and even I find things to obsess about in the mirror because of this crazy skin and bones obsessed beauty culture. We are all at our best when we are comfortable.

    • Dangles says:

      Yes. But it’s easy to be comfortable when the stakes aren’t high. It’s a lot harder to be comfortable when you’re going after something you really want.

      • LookyLoo says:

        Are you kidding? The stakes for her are very high; hence why most of the women in Hollywood look like cat people. That she can be authentic in that industry is hard and amazing.

  3. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    I’m kind of tired of every female celebrity who isn’t a size two being asked how they can stand themselves.

    • Amanduh says:

      Totally agree…this amazing, talented actress is going to be reduced to her weight for the rest of her career. It must be exhausting for her…

    • BabyJane says:

      I believe you have translated this interview (and those like it) perfectly. They are conducted almost with a sense of shock and admiration, but with a belittling veneer.

  4. Seraphina says:

    Love her. She does have a great energy about her. They stakes are high for her as well but I’ve noticed that the public is much more embracing to larger female comidians than to female actresses. It’s almost like the thought is: to be funny you can be a bigger size than the size 0 of Hollywood and because you are bigger you must have a sense of humor because what else is there???

  5. mkyarwood says:

    She looks great, I want that outfit immediately! And: WELCOME BACK, SOOKIE <3

  6. Magnoliarose says:

    This is a great message for everyone regardless of size, shape, age, color and everything on the outside but then also just simply who we are in total.
    Usually all the focus for women (men too though not to the same degree) is about our appearance. We are so much more than that but it doesn’t always feel that way. Our society has built industries based on nurturing our insecurities and making false promises. Just buy this, do this one thing, and happiness will be yours.
    Acceptance isn’t saying we couldn’t improve or should maybe, but simply giving up this unobtainable ideal and accepting the total package on our own terms.
    This simple idea feels hard sometimes but it would have spared me so many unhappy years as a tween feeling inadequate and defective. No amount of love could erase my obsession with my imperfections that my peers were more than happy to remind me of on a daily basis. Even now I am conscious of it. When I feel self conscious it always make me feel like the gawky 12 year old with big teeth, tall and no figure.
    I think many of us are exhausted and ready to get away from the madness and just accept ourselves as is.

  7. serena says:

    I can’t wait for Gilmore Girls and Ghostbusters!!

    • Miss M says:

      I am going to start watching GG again because I cannot wait for this revival! What happened to Paris? And Logan? And Rori? Luke and Lorelai?

  8. Lama Bean says:

    She’s so pretty!
    And I really like the beige dress in the pics below.

  9. Donna Martin says:

    It makes me crazy when people talk about flaws. What is it about our bodies that is a flaw? We only consider aspects of it as flaws because indeed an external force told us they were. They set up a template and said if you don’t fit into it work on your flaws.
    Give me a break. Now certain character flaws I get like if you are an assh*le but our bodies are amazing they accomplish so much for us. Be good to it

  10. Luxe says:

    I seriously love this blog but I feel like every Melissa McCarthy post is about something she said about weight and body image. It’s always positive of course but I’m just sick of hearing about it. Melissa’s an interesting person so I don’t know why the topic of her weight is beaten to death.

  11. lile says:

    I LOVE Melissa and I will take her in any size, shape or form!!!! Her physical comedy skills are second only to the great Carol Burnett. I ADORE ALL her movies and am always excited to see her on SNL. She is SO funny and SO likeable, she gets me every time. I cannot wait to see the Boss and everything else that is coming out.

  12. Huckle says:

    This is probably a bit off topic but I feel like regular women, when they’re young, are very insecure about their looks, weight, body type, etc. But I’ve found from my personal experience that since I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten more secure with these things. I mean, of course, there are things that still need or will always need improvement but I’ve found that I’m more accepting of my flaws, I don’t really care what the outside world thinks of me as long as I know I’m being a good person and setting a good example for my family. I don’t think I’ve gotten to this point with all this outside body positivity stuff in the media. (This is not an area I would go to for life advice anyway.) I’ve found it on my own through personal experience, emotional growth and maturity. Obviously everybody is different, and I don’t mean to make light of other people’s struggles, but I think sometimes you can’t get to a place of acceptance until you live through it. It doesn’t mean anything if you haven’t come out the other side, and how can you be accepting of other people’s versions if you have never experienced yourself? Anyway, enough of my rambling.

  13. ItDoesntReallyMatter says:

    So excited she is going to be on Gilmore Girls. She was my favorite character. ❤️

  14. Miss M says:

    She is rocking that outfit, isn’t she?!
    I love her positive attitude and self-esteem. If I were asked about my body/weight so often as she does, I do not know if I would be so gracious…