Melissa McCarthy Standing Up for Plus-Size Women

Actress launches her own clothing line in August.

ByABC News
May 26, 2015, 2:51 PM

— -- Melissa McCarthy wants to put an end to body shaming plus-size women.

"People don’t stop at size 12. I feel like there’s a big thing missing where you can’t dress to your mood above a certain number," she told the June issue of More. "[Malls] segregate plus-size [women]. It’s an odd thing that you can’t go shopping with your friends because your store is upstairs hidden by the tire section. We’ll put you gals over there because we don’t want to see you and you probably don’t want to be seen."

"There is just this weird thing about how we perceive women in this country," she added. "I would love to be a part of breaking that down."

That's one of the reason's the "Bridesmaids" and "Mike & Molly" star is launching her own clothing line, Melissa McCarthy Seven7, in August. It will feature 80 pieces in sizes 4 to 28.

"It’s pretty consuming," she said about adding "clothing designer" to her resume. "My problem is, I don’t hand things off very well. I just figure if it has my name on it and I want to make people feel good about wearing it, I can’t pass it off."

The 44-year-old actress has been showing a slimmer profile on the red carpet for her latest film "Spy."

But trying to achieve perfection is not something she's interested in.

"I have caught my reflection and thought, Oof. That girl is struggling. That girl is tired," she told More. "I’ve had mornings where I’m like, Oh God, I have weird hair. I look like Fraggle Rock. Why am I so puffy? What did I eat? [But] who cares if my eyes are puffy because I ate 44 almonds last night? Or my legs are short? To my core, I don’t care."

And that extends to other areas of her life as well.

"Pre-kids, I’d cook for 50 people. I’d have schedules, time charts," said McCarthy, the mother of two girls. "Being in my forties, I can finally relax. I’ve learned that you can order pizza and have your friends over, and it’s just as fun because nobody cares. Nobody wants to be around you if you’ve been up since 3 a.m. brining a chicken. I’ve let go of that quest for perfection."

McCarthy likes to keep things simple, and that includes not spending all her time responding to messages and emails.

"I know it’s not modern, but my voice mail says, ‘Please don’t leave a message,’" she said. "I don’t check email. I don’t want to be that person who has their face buried in a screen. It makes me feel bad when people do it to me. I’m like, ‘You literally have something in front of your face; I feel awkward talking to you.’”

PHOTO: Melissa McCarthy in More Magazine's June issue.
Melissa McCarthy in More Magazine's June issue.