How Chloë Grace Moretz Lost Her Confidence and Became a Recluse, but Found Strength to Shine Even Brighter Than Before

Negative remarks about our appearance can really hurt us, even if we practice positive affirmations every day. Celebrities often become the targets for mockery. And this is what happened to young Chloë Grace Moretz who had to make great efforts to cope with an avalanche of mocking comments because of a single photo taken from an unflattering angle.

Childhood

Chloë was born into the family of a nurse practitioner and a surgeon in 1997. She is the youngest child in the family and has 4 older brothers. However, their happy family life soon ended when her father left them, and her mother had to raise 5 children alone. In an interview, the actress revealed that she considered her father’s actions as a betrayal, but this made her tougher.

However, Chloë still kept her faith in love and sincere feelings. Her brother Trevor, who has been together with his boyfriend for 11 years, became a role model to her in terms of a healthy relationship.

Interestingly, Trevor was the first who wanted to become an actor. He enrolled in the Professional Performing Arts School, and Chloë moved to New York together with him and their mother at the age of 5. Little Chloë helped him read lines, and he was the first who recognized her talent. Trevor decided to walk away from his own career ambitions and chose to serve as her mentor, guru, and more.

First steps in movies

Eventually, Trevor turned out to be right. At the age of six, Chloë appeared in the 2005 horror movie The Amityville Horror. This role earned her a nomination for the Young Artist Award. But the role of Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass became her breakthrough. Chloë’s mom read the script and loved the character her daughter was supposed to play, so she supported Chloë in her decision to take on this role.

Rising to fame

Chloë became a very sought-after actress. For example, she starred in 500 Days of Summer, Movie 43, and others. To be convincing in the role of Alina in the movie The Equalizer, where she starred alongside Denzel Washington, Chloë worked for an organization that helps children who got into trouble.

In 2013, the thriller Carrie was released. Chloë was great in portraying a naive and kind girl who loses herself due to constant bullying. And her role in the movie If I Stay earned her a Teen Choice Award in the category of Choice Movie Actress —Drama in 2015.

But her movie career wasn’t trouble-free. At 16, producers told her to wear a push-up bra because they thought her breasts didn’t look big enough during the screen tests. Chloë was shocked. But Trevor came to her rescue, and they managed to defend her rights.

But this made Chloë feel insecure about her looks, “My brother was disgusted. It was the first time I looked at myself in the mirror and I was like: Is it not right? Aren’t they big enough? I was 16 and a child! They would never go up to a guy and give him a sock for his pants!” Years later, the actress urged all aspiring actresses to not be afraid to decline producers’ unacceptable requirements even if this could cost them the role in the movie.

The appearance of the meme

In 2016, paparazzi photographed Chloë when she was carrying pizza boxes dressed in short shorts and high heels. It’s worth mentioning that the actress often shows her beautiful, long legs by wearing short skirts or shorts. But this photo caused real turmoil online.

Someone photoshopped the actress’s body making her torso mockingly short to get her to look like a character from the animated series Family Guy. This meme immediately became viral. This picture insulted Chloë’s feelings so much that, according to her, “to this day, when I see that meme, it’s something very hard for me to overcome.” This experience caused the appearance of a mental health condition in her called body dysmorphia, where a person often feels anxious due to perceived flaws in their physical appearance, which are usually unnoticeable to others.

The consequences of this “joke”

According to statistics, 10 million people suffer from body dysmorphia only in the United States. This condition affects a person’s mental state so much that they become reclusive and can’t share their concerns with others. The actress found the strength to admit her condition only in September 2022, “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.”

This experience made her feel insecure. In an interview, she confessed that this “took a layer of something that I used to enjoy, which was getting dressed up and going to a carpet and taking a photo, and made me super self-conscious.” To cope with her mental trauma, she had to become a recluse and hide from public attention. But when she was photographed, it made her severely anxious. “My heart rate would rise and I would hyperventilate,” she recalled.

Present time

In February 2022, the actress turned 25. Her mom congratulated her with a touching post on Instagram, “You are funny and talented and you have a huge heart. Always share those attributes with others and lift them up as you go along.” Chloë’s filmography includes almost 50 movies, but she’s also an activist — she raises awareness about cervical cancer, is an LGBTQ advocate, and speaks about gender inequality in the movie industry.

The fateful meme divided her life into “before” and “after”. “I’m a very different girl than I was. I feel like a woman now,” says Chloë. She doesn’t try to hide the fact that she visits a therapist. With her own example, she showed how fragile our mental balance can be, and how important it is to turn for help when it’s needed the most.

Have you ever been mocked for your looks? How do you react to such comments? Tell us in the comments below.