Jennifer Love Hewitt Reflects on Being Sexualized as a Teen
Jennifer Love Hewitt’s hindsight is 20/20.
Sexualization at 16
The “Ghost Whisperer” actress reflected on being sexualized as a teen and having “grown men” make jokes about her breasts during her appearance on Tuesday’s episode of “Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown” podcast.
“There were grown men talking to me at 16 about my breasts openly on a talk show, and people were laughing about it. It was a culture that was fully accepted, but when you sit, and you look at where we are now versus then, it is really mind-blowing,” Hewitt, now 45, said.
Normalization of Breast Jokes
“In hindsight, it was really strange, I think, to become a sex symbol sort of like before I even knew what that was,” she continued. “I didn’t know what being sexy meant.”
The “Client List” star also recalled random men coming up to her and making sexually charged comments about her 1999 Maxim cover when she was 17.
“People would openly walk up and be like, ‘I took your magazine with me on a trip last week,’” Hewitt said, admitting that she would just laugh off the remarks.
“I didn’t really know what that meant,” she added. “It’s kind of gross.”
Laughter and Embarrassment
“When the movie came out, everybody said, ‘Oh, I know what your breasts did last summer,’” the actress recalled of starring in 1997’s “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”
“Everybody would laugh, so I would laugh. It was supposed to be funny, I guess,” she said.
Conclusion
Hewitt reflected on how jokes about her breasts became normalized after starring in the horror film, saying that it was a culture that was fully accepted at the time. However, she acknowledged that it was a difficult experience for her and that she was “so mad” about the focus on her breasts.
FAQs
Q: What did Jennifer Love Hewitt say about being sexualized as a teen?
A: Hewitt reflected on being sexualized as a teen and having “grown men” make jokes about her breasts, saying that it was a culture that was fully accepted at the time.
Q: What was Jennifer Love Hewitt’s reaction to the focus on her breasts?
A: Hewitt said that she was “so mad” about the focus on her breasts and that it was heartbreaking for her.
Q: Did Jennifer Love Hewitt blame anyone for the jokes about her breasts?
A: No, Hewitt said that she doesn’t “blame” anyone who was cracking those jokes at the time, acknowledging that it was a culture that was fully accepted.