Megan Fox often doesn’t get the credit she deserves. Hollywood largely pigeon-holed her into one-dimensional “H๏τ girl” characters and she’s claimed that her acting opportunities are limited due to her appearance. Megan Fox is infamous for both her acting career and personal life, but her sporadic participation in films does suggest that her roles may have been limited. Although some of the absences could be attributed to the previous controversy with Michael Bay.
The film industry has changed a lot since 2007, the release year of Transformers, the film that launched Megan Fox into stardom. However, it’s clear critics and fans alike can be brutal to women in Hollywood. Critics of the late 2000s were especially harsh reviewing Megan Fox’s performance in Transformers.
Critics Suggested Megan Fox Needed A Shower
Fox News suggested the star was “in need of a shower” as well as stating that “her enthusiasm also left a lot to be desired” during the promotion. This comment lies in the realm of Sєxism that is somewhat akin to a random man demanding a woman smile as she walks past him on the street, it wouldn’t happen to a man. Additionally, critics had apparently been trashing her hair during this promotion as Fox attempted to put off such comments by stating “Sorry if you don’t like my hair. Opinions are opinions.” Enthusiasm likely wanes under personalized insults, but it was the 2000s.
Critics Suggested That Megan Fox Had Botox
Fox also endured the countless botox rumors. Her stunning good looks are natural, not that there’s anything wrong with botox or enhancement. However, her response was more memorable than any critique. Fox posted a Facebook album showcasing her ability to move her face into expressions normally prohibited by botox. Fox used humor to put to rest untrue rumors.
Critics Hated Megan Fox’s Character, Mikaela
This one is more of a review of Mikaela than Megan Fox, but one critic used the Sєxist term WAG (wife and girlfriend) when he called Fox’s character, Mikaela, a “wannabe WAG.” Overall, this is a confusing critique that does obviously have the tone of derision but does not really say much about the actress herself.
Crew Members Wrote A Brutal, Sexist Letter Criticizing Fox
Crew members from Transformers published a critique of Megan Fox’s interview citing a conflict with Transformers director, Michael Bay. In this letter, the crew suggested that all Fox had to offer was “nice eyes and a tight stomach” and claimed she was “dumb-as-a-rock.” The crew says “sadly she never smiles.” This was before society realized they should stop demanding that women smile. Eventually, the crew calls her “trailer trash” and said she “posed like a porn star.” A line that is problematically derisive of Sєx workers as well as dismissive of the crew who styled the set, directed the pose, and pH๏τographed Fox “like a p*rn star.”
This letter is one of the most scathing as well as being complicated and entrenched in Sєxist pop culture of the 2000s/early 2010s. Some of the points made in the critique seem to allude to the disparity between actors and crew members on set, suggesting that Michael Bay makes the often unlauded crew members feel appreciated whilst Fox does not. However, it’s clear the expectations for Fox were entrenched in the idea that women should always look happy and beautiful to earn their space, especially in Hollywood. Ultimately, the classism and Sєxism of this letter are incredibly problematic, but the power dynamics of crew members compared to actors and actresses is also problematic.
The Problematic Jimmy Kimmel Interview
This may not have been mean, but the beliefs expressed in this interview are certainly damaging not only to Megan Fox but actresses and women everywhere. During this interview, Fox recalls an acting job she had at 15 or 16 that involved a lot of Sєxualization. Kimmel has Sєxistly dismissed the incident as a typical person’s mindset and Fox later spoke out about her experience working with Michael Bay in a later film, Transformers, which led to excessive backlash from critics and fans alike. Fox herself has mentioned how she was speaking out against exploitative practices but this was all before the #MeToo movement, and her claims were widely dismissed and mocked.
Critics Challenged Her Competency As A Parent
Fox has had to deal with questions and critics insinuating that her film career hinders her ability to parent, a question that is almost never directed towards male actors. This question is also dismissive of a current economic system that often requires both parents to work full-time jobs (often more than one job) and the majority of parents do not have the same economic resources Megan Fox currently has.
Critics Conflating Megan Fox With Her Characters
As with most typecasting, audiences and critics tend to ᴀssume actors share some personality traits with the characters they portray. Fox was often cast as the very pretty, popular girl, and Transformer’s largely maintained that narrative. The 2000s heavily contributed to the idea that pretty, popular girls are mean and many critics ᴀssumed the same for Megan Fox. Appearance shouldn’t be equated with personality.
Critics Largely Created A Narrative Suggesting That Megan Fox Wasn’t Funny Or Nice
This stems from a variety of incidences, critiques, and reports. However, it seems to all link back to Fox’s comments about director Michael Bay. Instead of being met with compᴀssion and empathy, Fox was met with derision and the label of “difficult.”