Melanie Lynskey Opens Up About Past Body Image Issues: 'I Was Losing My Mind'
Lynskey recently revealed that she was "very unwell for a long time."
— -- Melanie Lynskey is opening up about her past body issues and how she learned to accept and be proud of the skin she's in.
In an interview with People magazine, Lynskey, who played Rose on "Two and a Half Men," discussed how her struggle to deal with her "different shape" led to her having severe eating issues that put her health at risk.
"I was losing my mind trying to conform to something that was not physically possible for me," Lynskey said. "I was very unwell for a long time. I had eating issues and at a certain point I was like, 'I'm not going to survive.'"
The "Togetherness" actress noted that some of the side effects of her eating issues included hair loss and emotional distress. "I was so unhappy and my hair was falling out," Lynskey said.
Lynskey, 38, revealed that she was able to overcome her body insecurity, and now says she is comfortable with the way she looks.
"I was like, 'I just need to look the way I'm supposed to look' and have faith that people are going to want to put someone in a film or on a show who looks like this," Lynskey said. "I did have to truly become comfortable with myself, because you can't fake it."
Lynskey noted that she now rejects roles that aim to portray her size in a negative light.
"I'm like a size 8, so it's not like anything crazy is happening over here, but it gets portrayed like that," Lynskey said. "There was a lot of stuff I used to get offered as an actress like the fat friend, that kind of thing, and I just reject it so intensely."
Lynskey also revealed that she appreciates being able to portray characters with "a different shape from a lot of women who are on television," and likes that she doesn't have to live up to an "unrealistic expectation." The actress also admitted that the support she receives from fans motivates and empowers her as well.
"A lot of women look like me," Lynskey said. "I will hear on Twitter or sometimes I meet women who are so grateful to see something reflected back at them that reminds them of themselves."