Chloë Moretz has spoken out about the devastating impact that an infamous Family Guy meme had on her mental health after it went viral on social media.
Speaking in a candid interview with Hunger, Moretz opened up about the effects of suddenly becoming the target of trolls and body-shamers after a side-by-side comparison of the star with an image from the animated series went viral, saying that it gave her “anxiety” and made it her “super self-conscious”.
“I’ve actually never really talked about this, but there was one meme that really affected me, of me walking into a hotel with a pizza box in my hand,” she revealed to the publication.
“And this photo got manipulated into a character from Family Guy with the long legs and the short torso, and it was one of the most widespread memes at the time.”
She went on to say that it didn’t help that pals encouraged her to find the insult “funny”.
“Everyone was making fun of my body, and I brought it up with someone, and they were like, ‘Oh, shut the fuck up, it’s funny.’
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“And I just remember sitting there and thinking, my body is being used as a joke, and it’s something that I can’t change about who I am, and it is being posted all over Instagram,” Moretz added.
“It was something so benign as walking into a hotel with leftovers. And to this day, when I see that meme, it’s something very hard for me to overcome.”
The Kickass star added, “I think that body dysmorphia – which we all deal with in this world – is extrapolated by the issues of social media. It’s a headfuck.”
The ongoing trauma from being body-shamed by hoards of trolls on social media had ongoing effects, with Chloë saying that the negative comments lead her to becoming a “recluse.”
“It was great because I got away from the photographers and I was able to be myself, and to have so many experiences that people didn’t photograph, but at the same time, it made me severely anxious when I was photographed. My heart rate would rise and I would hyperventilate.”
Chloë Grace Moretz is set to star in the new drama series The Peripheral, which will launch on Prime Video on October 21.
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