In a candid essay, the 'Hunger Games' star says she's done trying to find the 'adorable' way to speak her mind.
- Oct 13, 2015
AceShowbiz - Jennifer Lawrence broke her silence on the revelation that she was paid significantly less than her male co-stars in "American Hustle". In an essay titled "Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co‑Stars?" that she wrote for Lena Dunham's newsletter, the Oscar winner talked about Hollywood sexism and gender pay inequality.
"When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with d*ck, I didn't get mad at Sony," Lawrence wrote. "I got mad at myself. I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early. I didn't want to keep fighting over millions of dollars that, frankly, due to two franchises, I don't need."
"But if I'm honest with myself, I would be lying if I didn't say there was an element of wanting to be liked that influenced my decision to close the deal without a real fight. I didn't want to seem 'difficult' or 'spoiled'," she continued. "At the time, that seemed like a fine idea, until I saw the payroll on the Internet and realized every man I was working with definitely didn't worry about being 'difficult' or 'spoiled.' '
"This could be a young-person thing. It could be a personality thing. I'm sure it's both. But this is an element of my personality that I've been working against for years, and based on the statistics, I don't think I'm the only woman with this issue."
She wondered, "Are we socially conditioned to behave this way? We've only been able to vote for what, 90 years? I'm seriously asking ... Could there still be a lingering habit of trying to express our opinions in a certain way that doesn't 'offend' or 'scare' men? I'm over trying to find the 'adorable' way to state my opinion and still be likable! F*ck that."
"The Hunger Games" actress added, "I don't think I've ever worked for a man in charge who spent time contemplating what angle he should use to have his voice heard. It's just heard."
"Jeremy Renner, Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper all fought and succeeded in negotiating powerful deals for themselves. If anything, I'm sure they were commended for being fierce and tactical, while I was busy worrying about coming across as a brat and not getting my fair share," she went on.
"This might have NOTHING to do with my vagina, but I wasn't completely wrong when another leaked Sony email revealed a producer referring to a fellow lead actress in a negotiation as a 'spoiled brat,' " she added. "For some reason, I just can't picture someone saying that about a man."
