Will Poulter said discussions of his physical appearance, particularly his eyebrows, make him “uncomfortable”
The Hollywood star explained people discussing his eyebrows on social media was “weird.” However, despite the “debates” happening on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) mostly went over his head. The Maze Runner actor said he is “comfortable” in not being “conventionally attractive.” Despite the attention on his facial features, Will, 30, has had a very successful film and TV career. He has starred in blockbusters such as We’re the Millers and the 2019 horror Midsommar, alongside Florence Pugh.
Will Poulter knows people are fascinated by his eyebrows
In an interview with GQ, Will Poulter opened up about how he feels when it comes to his eyebrows being the topic of conversation. He explained he felt he was “protected” by “male privilege.”
“Male privilege has protected me from that kind of objectification,” he said. “And the idea that up until now really I’ve been able to go about my job and not have my physical appearance be something of a subject matter – that privilege hasn’t been afforded to my female counterparts in the industry.”
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The movie star continued: “I’ve always had remarks about looking unusual – whether it’s my eyebrows or whatever else, people have made a thing of that. I think it just speaks to a wider issue, of: Why are we discussing or spending so much time discussing people’s physical appearance?
“Especially in the case of women. But whether you’re male or female, why is that the focus so much? Unfortunately, social media has created this problematic idea that everyone’s opinion on everything matters equally.”
He added it was “hard not to take it as a backhanded compliment,” if fans talk about his appearance. People have told him in the most random places, such as pubs and toilets, that he’s had “a glow up” in comparison to how he looked when he was much younger.
Will quit X to ‘protect’ his mental health
In 2019, Will Poulter announced he would no longer use (Twitter) X for his mental health. After appearing in the Netflix interactive episode of Black Mirror called Bandersnatch, he received negative comments about his appearance. He released a statement to say he had been “struggling for a while now.”
He wrote at the time: “As we all know, there is a balance to be struck in our engagements with social media. There are positives to enjoy and inevitable negatives that are best avoided. It’s a balance that I have struggled with for a while now and in the interest of my mental health I feel the time has come to change my relationship with social media.
“I don’t want to appear unappreciative of all the amazing support I have received online for which I am genuinely so grateful, nor do I want my disengagement with social media to be at the expense of any of the organizations I am lucky to work with,” the celebrity said. He listed the organizations he works with including Anti-Bullying Pro.
“I am privileged to have this platform,” Will added. “I hope that this shift to reduce my personal expression and increase the focus on issues that matter will result in a better outcome for
everyone.”
He concluded: “This is not the end. Consider it an alternative path.”
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