Kate Beckinsale slams ‘ridiculous’ pressure put on women’s bodies

Kate Beckinsale has hit out at the unattainable expectations put on young women when it comes to the shape and size of their own bodies.

During a recent interview on US talk show, Chelsea Handler, the 44-year-old actress spoke about the advice she gives to her 18-year-old daughter, Lily.

“Now you’re supposed to have…a ridiculous ass and ridiculous boobs and a tiny waist and everything else.

“And it's this sort of unconscious way of controlling women to distract them into a kind of self-loathing.

“And meanwhile a lot of political s*** is happening…. maybe we can’t have abortions anymore, that sort of thing.”

Kate then reffered to Susan Faludi's book, Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women, revealing that she had urged her daughter to read the award winning title that argues the existence of a media driven "backlash" against the feminist advances of the 1970s.

“She talks about how when, politically, women make big strides it seems to always happen that the fashion becomes for a completely unattainable body type,” she said.

“It’s a sort of unconscious way of controlling women to distract them into a kind of self-loathing. You get the vote, but it means … you can’t have any boobs”.

She added that “the more we get sucked in and concentrate on our own a**, the more stuff can happen to us”.

The actress also spoke openly about the close relationship she shares with her ex, Micheal Sheen, saying both of them were entirely devoted to raising their daughter together.

Kate and Michael were together for eight years before they eventually went their separate ways in 2003.

Micheal is currently in a relationship with American comedian, Sarah Silverman, while Kate is rumoured to be dating 21-year-old Matt Rife.