Jenna Ortega Is Self-Conscious of Her Body Hair and Shaves Her Arms and Legs After Being Told She Had “Gorilla Arms” in 6th Grade
Jenna Ortega became the “queen of horror” after the release of Scream, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, and X. And once the series Wednesday hit the screens, no one had any doubts that a star had been born. The actress’ talent is recognized by critics and fans alike, but even these achievements can’t rid the celebrity of her complexes. But she talks about this openly with her fans.
A “friend” told her she had “gorilla arms”
In a recent interview, Jenna confessed that she is self-conscious about her leg hair, but also, and especially, the hair on her arms. This complex has haunted her since high school: “I have dark hair. I’m Latina. I remember I was insecure about my leg hair but my arm hair more. There was a girl who I was ’friends’ with who told me that I had gorilla arms.”
She shaved her arm hair in 6th grade without her parents’ permission
Jenna recalls how much she begged her mother to let her use a razor. In 6th grade, the future star was finally allowed to shave her legs. But Ortega didn’t stop there. Her hairless arms, by her own admission, upset her parents very much, but it’s something she simply had to do.
She still shaves her arms every day
Today, Jenna is on the threshold of maturity — the actress turns 21 in September. Many years have passed since high school, but the complex that formed so long ago still remains: “Still to this day, every single day, I shave my arms. If there’s even stubble, if there’s anything, I get really insecure about it.”
Her facial hair, however, Ortega deals with differently. She bleaches the hair on her upper lip with a special cream. Due to her busy filming schedule, she does this every 2-3 weeks.
She turned her other complex into a talent
The Wednesday star dealt with her other complex brilliantly. Jenna is 5’1″. But she’s turned her tiny build into an advantage: “I don’t know if it’s insecurity in my height, or if it’s the fact that I think because of my height, my body kind of said...you should be able to run in heels. So I can. It’s a talent of mine. It’s probably what I’m best at.”
She used to hide her freckles, but now she adores them
Jenna has freckles. When the actress first started filming, makeup artists tried to cover them up: “I would get comments like ’you have a dirty face,’ or ’your face looks dirty.’ I don’t think [it] was professional in any way, shape or form.” Today, however, the star often gets compliments about her freckles, and she herself has finally learned to accept and love them.
We love Jenna with, or without body hair. And for anyone who’s embarrassed to go outside with some stubble, here’s a look at 15 stars who proudly show off their arm, leg, and other body hair at social events.