Eiza González's Scrutiny Over Her Body Image As A Teen

Buzz Feed

31-05-2025

Fountain of Youth star Eiza González shared how she was brought back to a difficult moment as a teenage actor when Millie Bobby Brown called out journalists for their "disturbing" comments about her appearance.
During a May 26 appearance on Jesse Tyler Ferguson's podcast Dinner's on Me, Eiza recalled facing scrutiny around her appearance like Millie did earlier this year.
"It really made me sad because... when I was like a teenager, you know, I broke into the industry," Eiza recalled.
From 2007-08, Eiza starred in a Mexican remake of the Argentine telenovela Floricienta called Lola, érase una vez (Lola: Once Upon a Time).
"They were waiting for the reveal of this character, and I came on stage, and I sang a song, whatever," she recalled. "The next morning, I'm watching the version of Today Show in Mexico, and they're gonna talk about it. I'm like, I'm 14 'Oh my God, it's just happening, this is crazy.' I'm doing what I wanna do. And the presenters came on, and they're 40 and 50-year-olds, and they're like, 'Ugh, she's so ugly. She's so fat. They could have gotten anyone, like why would they get her?'"
Eiza became a bit emotional as she recounted the harsh experience. "I remember even right now, I'm just like, 'Oh my God, it was just so jarring," she said. "And I was just like sitting there, like embarrassed with myself. Like even [now] it makes me tear up."
Earlier, Eiza explained that she suffered a "deep depression" after the death of her father in a "tragic accident" when she was only 12, which made this experience even harder to navigate as a teen.
"Now you become this child where you're chasing approval, and now you're like completely lost of identity. And you're also completely lost because you're mourning and you're grieving, so you're sad. And then I'm touring and having to smile and be a role model and pretend like I'm okay when everyone's bombarding you. What you're supposed to do, what you're not supposed to do."
But, support from her "amazing mother" being there for her through it all helped Eiza persist. "I definitely got lost. I was very unkind to myself, my body, my thoughts, my soul, because I just never felt good enough," she continued. "And it's something that stays with you forever because it's sort of brands you, it marks you for life. And so it becomes a catch-up."
Millie's clapback by calling out the "disgusting" headlines resonated with Eiza, reminding her of her own experience as a teenage actor. "I really identified with what she was saying because she was reading this, she was explaining about her terrifying [experience] and I just found that really interesting because she was talking about being a grown woman and sort of finding the way she wants to dress and act and be, and she doesn't have to do it under other people's terms. It's under her terms."
If you remember, back in March, Millie, who started at age 12 on Stranger Things, faced nasty comments from certain media during her press tour for Electric State.
On March 3, Millie called out the problematic headlines and discourse. "We always talk about supporting and uplifting young women, but when the time comes, it seems easier to tear them down for clicks. Disillusioned people can't handle seeing a girl become a woman on her terms, not theirs. I refuse to apologize for growing up. I refuse to make myself smaller to fit the unrealistic expectations of people who can't handle seeing a girl become a woman. I will not be shamed for how I look, how I dress, or how I present myself," Millie wrote.
It's truly heartbreaking that Millie, Eiza, and many entertainers of all ages experience such nasty critiques on their appearance, whether from social media or, in some cases, professional media. Hopefully, the fear of being called out by name will start deterring the culprits.
Listen to the Dinner's On Me episode here.