Lily James slams claims Cinderella is too thin

1^st April 2015

Alexandra Davis

Alexandra Davis

1 April 2015

Following the release of the live-action remake of the classic fairytale Cinderella last week, Disney has faced criticism for the size of Cinderella’s waist in the childhood classic.

Since the film’s release, Lily James who stars as Cinderella, has faced backlash on several occasions over her tiny waist. Critics have said that the 25-year-old’s waist is far too small in the movie and may have been Photoshopped to achieve the look. 

Many fans even took to social networking websites, such as Twitter, to criticise the minuscule size of the actress, whilst some users even used the hashtag #BoycottCinderella to try and discourage people from going to see the film.

Costume designer Sandy Powell, who created all the outfits for the film, has defended James and her waist, stating: “Lily does have a small waist, but then so do all the other girls in the film, all the girls in the film wear corsets because that’s what you wear with period clothes – it creates the silhouettes.” She added, “Lily’s dress in particular is an optical illusion, I have to say. The diameter of the skirt is about two metres and it has the width and that really does make the waist smaller than it actually is.”

However speaking at a recent press conference at London’s Claridge’s Hotel, James said the furore surrounding her tiny waist was distracting from the message of the film, “Why on earth are we focusing on something so irrelevant?”

James hit back at critics saying: “It’s a shame, because it’s not what the film is about.” The former Downton Abbey star went on to describe the true message,  “I’ve had friends’ kids and a little boy called Daniel, who’s nine, who said, ‘it’s amazing how you promised your mum to be kind and good and you remembered it,’ that’s the message.”

Alexandra Davis