21 Female Celebrities Who Totally Exposed The Sexism And Double-Standards They've Faced In Their Careers

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06-03-2025

IDK if you heard, but International Women's Day is on March 8 — which is around the corner (at least, at the time I'm writing this)! So since feminism is my biggest personality trait, I couldn't let the holiday pass me by.
So in honour of IWD, I decided to spotlight some female celebs who have opened up about how hard it is being a woman — in general, but also based on their experiences in the public eye. And it's fascinating, so here we go!
1. In her documentary Miss Americana, Taylor Swift discussed the double-standard that exists for women in the entertainment industry. "The female artists that I know of have reinvented themselves 20 times more than the male artists," she said. "They have to, or else you're out of a job."
Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images / The Recording Academy
"Constantly having to reinvent. Constantly finding new facets of yourself that people find to be shiny. Be new to us. Be young to us, but only in a new way, and only the way we want."
2. Beyoncé has long been a feminist — her performance at the 2014 VMAs, where she had a giant "Feminist" sign behind her, was nothing short of legendary. She's also spoken about it tons of times. "The entertainment business is still very sexist," she said in 2020. "It's still very male-dominated and as a woman, I did not see enough female role models given the opportunity to what I knew I had to do."
"Not enough black women had a seat at the table. So I had to go and chop down that wood and build my own table. Then I had to invite the best there was to have a seat."
3. There was soooo much buzz about Ariana Grande's speaking voice change post- Wicked. Ariana clarified that this is a "normal thing" that happens for many actors, and explained that the scrutiny is actually kind of sexist. "When it's a male actor that does it, it's acclaimed," Ariana said. "There are definitely jokes that are made as well, but it's always after being led with praise."
'Tale as old as time being a woman in this industry. You are treated differently, and you are under a microscope in a way that some people aren't.'
4. Emily Blunt got super candid about her thoughts on sexism in a 2023 interview, right around the release of Oppenheimer. "Women are still pressured to be warm and likable. Men are not," she said. "Men are not held to that same standard. No one cared if Leonardo DiCaprio was likable in The Wolf of Wall Street."
"We're not often given a platform to speak honestly. Or you're considered too ambitious or emotional if someone appears to be speaking their mind with spirited opinion."
5. Jennifer Lawrence discussed a similar issue in 2015. "I'm over trying to the find the 'adorable' way to state my opinion and still be likable. Fuck that," she said. "I don't think I've ever worked for a man in charge who spent time contemplating what angle he should use to have his voice heard. It's just heard."
6. In 2021, Olivia Rodrigo discussed the sexism she's noticed in the music industry — specifically, how female songwriters are more frequently condemned for writing about romantic situations. Specifically, she said she's noticed "sexist criticism of songwriters like me being told that they only write songs about boys."
"I'm a teenage girl, I write about stuff that I feel really intensely — and I feel heartbreak and longing really intensely — and I think that's authentic and natural."
7. In 2017, Reese Witherspoon opened up about being sexually assaulted by a director when she was 16. "I've had multiple experiences of harassment and sexual assault and I don't speak about them very often, but after hearing all the stories these past few days and hearing these brave women speak up tonight, the things that we're kind of told to sweep under the rug and not talk about, it's made me want to speak up and speak up loudly."
"I have just spoken to so many actresses and writers, particularly women, who have had similar experiences and many of them have bravely gone public with their stories. That truth is very encouraging to me."
8. Emma Stone revealed that her jokes have been stolen from her in the past, and given to male co-stars instead. "I hesitate to make it about being a woman," she began, "but there have been times when I've improvised, they've laughed at my joke and then given it to my male co-star. Given my joke away."
9. After she won an Oscar for Room, Brie Larson revealed the sexist comments she's received during auditions throughout her life. "There were many times that I would go into auditions and the casting directors would say, 'It's really great, we love what you're doing, but we'd really love for you to come back in a jean miniskirt and high heels.'"
10. Gal Gadot talked about the gender pay gap that *still* exists in Hollywood. "My biggest struggle as a woman has been equal pay as my male co-stars," she said. "As a woman, that has been the biggest thing. As a human being, I have struggled with many other problems. But the thing that I fought for the most was equal pay with my male stars."
11. In a 2019 interview with Elle, Mindy Kaling opened up about not getting her fair share of credit as a writer back in the early days of The Office. Basically, the Television Academy was going to cut Mindy's name from the list of The Office writers for Emmy nominations. "I had to get letters from all the other male, white producers saying that I had contributed, when my actual record stood for itself," she explained.
12. Mila Kunis revealed that a producer once told her"you'll never work in this town again" after she refused to pose "semi-naked on the cover of a men's magazine." She detailed feeling "livid" and "objectified," and made a really fascinating point: "What this producer may never realize is that he spoke aloud the exact fear every woman feels when confronted with gender bias in the workplace."
"For the first time in my career I said 'no.' And guess what? The world didn't end. The film made a lot of money and I did work in this town again, and again, and again."
13. Lady Gaga has shut down tons of sexist questions throughout her career. For one, in response to an interviewer who asked if she's "scared that having sexual references can undermine music," she said: "You see, if I was a guy and I was sitting here with a cigarette in my hands grabbing my crotch talking about how I make music because I like fast cars and fucking girls, you'd call me a rock star. But when I do it in my music and video because I'm a female and I make pop music, you're judgemental and say it's distracting."
And two years later, when asked about buying lingerie, she said, "I, um... that's very inappropriate of you to ask me."
14. Lena Dunham exposed the most sexist thing that's happened to her in her career, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "I heard a guy on my show say into his microphone: 'I hate this job. I can't wait to be back on a show where there's a man at the helm.'"
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"Later, that same guy came up to me at lunch and said, 'You're really enjoying that buffet, aren't you?'"
15. Recently, in May 2024, Anya Taylor-Joy talked about encouraging women to express their genuine emotions. "I've developed a bit of a reputation for fighting for feminine rage, which is a strange thing, because I'm not promoting violence — but I am promoting women being seen as people," she explained. "We have reactions that are not always dainty or unmessy."
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16. Florence Pugh has long been open about sexism, especially when it comes to objectification, sexualization, and control over women's actions. "It's always been fashionable to tell a woman how she should live her life," she said. "Or that the decisions they are making are wrong or too loud. She also said she's "watched talented, beautiful women get torn apart."
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"It's about control, isn't it? It's still ultimately about suppressing one sex, and we're dealing with it all the time."
17. Actress Gillian Anderson shared her experiences with the gender pay gap, particularly in her role on The X Files. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she said that "as usual," The X Files offered her "half of what they want[ed] to offer David [Duchovny]."
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A source told The Hollywood Reporter that they got paid the same amount for the series. So based on Gillian's story, we can assume she was offered less initially, but then ended up getting paid equally.
18. In 2015, Sandra Bullock talked about how scary it is to see young women mistreated in Hollywood. "I feel like it's become open hunting season in how women are attacked and it's not because of who we are as people, it's because of how we look or our age," she shared.
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"The women [in the industry] have bonded together and have sort of become this tribe of trying to take care of each other and be there for each other in a way, because the minute you step out it's an onslaught."
19. Allison Brie revealed an audition story for an episode of the 2000s TV show Entourage, in which they asked her to "go on in a bikini." She also said: "I've gone through auditions for Marvel movies and auditioned a million times for roles with three lines and you are begging for them. And I'd be glad to get them!"
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"It's brutal, it just is."
20. Salma Hayek has applied a fascinating strategy to outsmart prejudice in the film industry. "I battled racism by using their sexism," she said. "So I invented this sexy character. That was what [Hollywood] was able to open up to, that's how I went in." Then, she'd "delicately inject" bits of comedy and intelligence into her scenes, making her characters more complex.
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"I remember understanding this, and making a choice: 'Am I degrading myself?' I didn't sleep with people. It was just that this was something they could understand."
21. And in 2019, Gina Rodriguez, who you might know from Jane the Virgin, shared that she had to explain the gender pay gap to her nephew. "He goes, 'My mommy makes more than my daddy, and you make more, so don't women always make more than men?'" Through this experience, Gina realized she's "a reflection to young boys" that women can be strong, powerful leaders.
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"Here I'm thinking I'm only affecting women, when I have my nephew being like, 'I see you making deals. You're the CEO of your company.'"
Now, ladies: what's a double-standard you've experienced as a woman, whether at work or in general? Tell me in the comments below.
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