Jenna Ortega on feeling pressured to conform to beauty standards: Look a certain way...

Jenna Ortega recently opened up about the pressures she faced to conform to the industry's beauty standards. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, she revealed the struggles she encountered as a child actor. She also spoke about the difficulty of finding work due to not fitting a "certain mould".

Jenna Ortega says she made a decision of not 'altering' her appearance

Jenna Ortega reflected on the disheartening reality of being told that something "unchangeable", like her appearance, was a "barrier" to success in the industry.  She said that there was a "temptation to conform" but she made a conscious decision of not altering her appearance. She shared that her refusal to succumb to external pressures was rooted in a broader perspective—one that aimed to challenge the prevailing norms of beauty in Hollywood. She explained that her choice was driven by a desire for young girls to see authenticity on screen and not feel compelled to change their appearance to fit a predetermined standard.

Ortega added that she understood that by embracing her true self, she could become a more influential role model for others. She said, "I thought, 'I don't want other young girls to look up at the screen and feel like they have to change their appearance to be deemed beautiful or worthy.'"

When Jenna Ortega spoke about struggling as a Latina Child actor

In an earlier interview with ET, Jenna Ortega delved into the challenges faced by Hispanic actors in Hollywood.  She said that she realised that opportunities for young Hispanic actors were limited. She found herself pigeonholed into specific roles, often playing the younger version of a character or someone's daughter. Expressing her frustration, Ortega pointed out the scarcity of leading Hispanic actors she could look up to as role models in the industry. 

She stated, "There were just not many leading Hispanic actors who I could be that for. So a lot of the jobs that I was going for growing up would never work out because I didn't look [a certain] way. That was really hard, to hear that something you couldn't change was what was preventing you [from succeeding]."

During the same interview, Ortega admitted to considering dyeing her hair blonde to align with the stereotypical Hollywood image. Adding further, she said that the desire stemmed from a longing to resemble Cinderella, a character synonymous with the conventional standards of beauty prevalent in the industry.