Since she has spent so much time in the spotlight, Scarlett Johansson appears to have some experience with what it’s like to be the center of attention. However, the 37-year-old acknowledges in a recent candid interview with The Cut that she hasn’t always felt completely at ease in her own skin.
She told the outlet, “We’re all so hard on ourselves. She said, referring to the current selfie and social media culture, “And it seems even more so now since everyone’s always continuously looking at images of themselves, which is a phenomenon that’s maybe ten years old.”
Now, she said, “you can take a picture of yourself, zoom in, and analyze it.” “It’s difficult to avoid being overly judgmental of others and ourselves.” (See: Bethenny Frankel Just Made a Vital Point About Instagram’s Filtered Photos.)
Johansson admitted to The Cut that her biggest beauty regret is a result of her capacity to see herself in almost excessive detail in digital photos. In a recent interview, she noted, “I wish I hadn’t picked my skin so much when I was younger, I could’ve prevented so much turmoil and scarring.” It was really difficult for me to overcome my obsessive want to frequently touch or pick at my skin.
Even though the need to pick at a pimple or scab sometimes may be natural, for some people, a compulsive skin-picking behavior can cause serious, ongoing difficulties. According to the International OCD Foundation , dermatology (also known as excoriation or skin-picking condition) is a recognized mental illness that is related to obsessive-compulsive disorder and can cause “severe suffering” to people who experience it. According to Goodbye Anxiety author and New York City-based psychologist Terri Bacow, Ph.D., , it entails “constant plucking at one’s own skin, resulting in skin imperfections, scars, or sores.”
The Black Widow star did disclose what helped her break her skin-picking habit, however she did not expressly mention whether she fought from dermatillomania. She claimed that it required a little rough love from her older sister. Finally, Johansson remembered, “my sister instructed me to throw away the magnifying mirror.” No one is staring at your pores that intently, and it’s a liability, she claimed. It was the most basic suggestion, but it truly applied to me because I have a tendency to become obsessive with my skin.
In terms of her capacity to feel secure both in and out of the spotlight, Johansson appears to have made significant progress. I don’t think I’ll ever be completely at ease with ‘being photographed in public,’ but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten better at it, she admitted. I used to be utterly terrified when I was on the red carpet. I thought I was going to pass out.
Is there anything else she’s improved at over the years? She told the outlet, “As I’ve gotten older, I try to be more forgiving of the way that I look at myself.” She now understands the “abstract” definition of beauty as including more than simply looking attractive in a photograph or magnifying glass. She said, “Beauty is this elusive trait that comes from being at ease in your own flesh.
Many people can relate to the impulse to zoom in and obsess on perceived “flaws” even though they may never find themselves in Johansson’s position of intense red carpet spotlight. Fans can try to emulate the actress by being a little kinder to themselves, even when it’s difficult.
