Barbie Ferreira is opening up about fame, public scrutiny and the long-running conversation around her body.
The 29-year-old actress and model, best known for playing Kat Hernandez on HBO’s ‘Euphoria,’ spoke to ‘Bustle’ about her career, her exit from the series and the way people have discussed her appearance for years.
Ferreira was raised by an immigrant family in Queens and set her sights on entertainment early. She first gained attention as a model during the 2010s body positivity movement, including a viral bodysuit campaign that made her an unexpected public voice in the conversation.
However, Ferreira said she always saw modeling as one part of a larger career. In 2018, after months of auditions, she secured her role on ‘Euphoria.’
“I try to be myself, even if people are like, ‘What is she on?’ I’m not on anything, maybe just a Celsius,” she said.
Her ‘Euphoria’ exit came with public scrutiny
Ferreira appeared on the first two seasons of ‘Euphoria’ before she and creator Sam Levinson parted ways professionally. She has previously described the decision as mutual, though she told ‘Bustle’ that facing an uncertain future afterward was a “big shock to the system.”
The actress said the experience taught her a hard lesson about having a public career.
“It was a big lesson in having a public career: I have no control over public opinion,” she said. “I had to practice big acceptance… I’ve obviously never been through a public discourse like that.”
Ferreira has since continued building her film career, including work on ‘Mile End Kicks’ and ‘Faces of Death.’
Ferreira says body comments never stop
Much of the interview focused on the public’s fixation on Ferreira’s body, especially because she became known during the rise of curve modeling and body positivity.
She said people often act as though they own a version of her and expect her to stay at a certain size.
“It’s hard because my whole family fluctuates in weight,” Ferreira said. “I started modeling at 16, and I’ve looked different every year for over a decade.”
Ferreira said the internet has alternated between searching for her weight gain and weight loss, with no point where the commentary fully stops.
“There is so much discourse around what I look like, and what other women look like, all the time,” she said. “As women, we are in a losing game.”
She also reflected on being labeled an activist as a teenager after modeling in swimwear campaigns. “People asked me about my activism when I was just a kid,” she said. “I didn’t even know what activism meant.”
‘My body has never been the most interesting thing about me’
Ferreira said she avoids adding more fuel to conversations about weight loss or weight gain because she believes the focus can be damaging, especially for young women.
She also criticized the way the internet reacts to women aging or changing over time, saying people are not used to watching actresses grow older in public.
“My body has never been the most interesting thing about me,” Ferreira said. “I’m just an average woman. I haven’t broken any Guinness World Records.”
