In a recent interview with Variety, Chloë Grace Moretz reflected on the time she became a ‘Family Guy’ meme. The actress said that everyone was making fun of her body and that it was difficult to experience.
While social media has allowed celebrities to more authentically connect with fans, it also allows people to engage with public figures on their own terms. For Moretz, there was an incident in which a circulated photo took a hit on her confidence.
“There was one meme that really affected me, of me walking into a hotel with a pizza box in my hand. And this photo got manipulated into a character from Family Guy with the long legs and the short torso, and it was one of the most widespread memes at the time,” she said. “Everyone was making fun of my body and I brought it up with someone and they were like, ‘Oh, shut the f*** up, it’s funny.’ And 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.
“To this day, I still find it difficult to overcome the feelings associated with that meme.”
As a result, she said that she “basically became a recluse” to get some much-needed rest away from the limelight so that she could ground herself in privacy. There were benefits and drawbacks to this.
She said further added, “It was great because I got away from the photographers and I was able to be myself and to have so many experiences that people didn’t photograph, but at the same time it made me severely anxious when I was photographed.”
Moretz admitted that the pandemic was a welcome break from the public eye, especially as people became more anonymous due to mask-wearing.
