To be honest, she is possibly among one of the last few people I expected to hear a peep from, mainly because it seems that everyone from Kelly Osborne to Mel C have voiced their thoughts on the issue of size zero. But alas, it appears that Dame Helen Mirren also has an opinion on the topic, and a pretty strong one at that.
Following the rejection of her niece by modelling agencies based on her weight, Mirren has spoken out in The Sunday Telegraph, blaming the proliferation of stick-thin models and female fashion editors for perpetuating those images.
"I blame my own sex vehemently on this. It is women who run the magazines and women who editorialise and women who make the decisions," she said.
"I think it is completely iniquitous to have incredibly skinny girls on the runway," she said. " A lot of the girls are horrifically thin and of course they have a problem. Mostly, the fashion industry chooses to turn a blind eye," she added.
Mirren also admitted to being on a permanent diet due to career demands and the guilt she felt after she encouraged her niece to pursue modelling before being told to lose weight by agencies. "She is a slim, flat-bellied and normal girl. Every modelling agency told her she would have to lose weight and I felt so, so guilty, because she really didn't have to. When she got home I didn't want her to feel like that," she said.
At the same time, she also admitted that the photograph on her autobiography had been airbrushed: "As for cosmetic procedures, you can't be 80 and look 50 but if I get to a point where it is really depressing me and I want to feel better about myself then I will do it."
At least she's honest about it which is more than I can say about most stars.
[Source: Telegraph / Getty]
