Jonah Hill Drags Daily Mail For Sharing Shirtless Photos

jonahhill/Instagram

February 28, 2021, 8:45 am

Jonah Hill is calling out the Daily Mail after they shared shirtless photos of the actor, suggesting that it was done in an attempt to body-shame him.

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The British tabloid posted paparazzi pics of Hill out surfing in Malibu. In some, he was wearing a standard skin-tight wetsuit while up on his board, and in others, he shirtless as he dried off after having some fun in the sun.

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The headline itself was fairly innocuous, especially when compared to similar headlines about female celebrities captured in less than flawless images at the beach — “Jonah Hill slips into his black wetsuit for surf day in Malibu… before showing off his tattoos while going shirtless to towel himself off.”

But Hill has long faced criticisms for and comments on his body in the public eye, and despite there not being any explicit shaming in the wording, he felt as if posting this as a clickbait article at all fell into the longstanding pattern of the media poking fun at him for his looks.

“I don’t think I ever took my shirt off in a pool until I was in my mid-30s even in front of family and friends,” he wrote on Instagram alongside a screenshot of the article. “Probably would have happened sooner if my childhood insecurities weren’t exacerbated by years of public mockery about my body by press and interviewers.

“So the idea that the media tries to play me by stalking me while surfing and printing photos like this and it can’t [faze] me anymore is dope. I’m 37 and finally love and accept myself.”

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The actor even added a specific note just for the Daily Mail: “Not even you can take that smile from my face.”

Hill’s decision to stand up for himself was met with applause across the internet, with people calling him a “legend” for his refusal to let them bring him down.

I see he doesn’t want a “good for him” reply, but … well, good for him calling out the Daily Mail. Fuck those guys.

— Norm Wilner (@normwilner) February 27, 2021

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This is such a great message from Jonah Hill. I wore swimsuits with a skirt, FFS! Like it was 1860! And now I look back and think I looked lovely, *apart from the ridiculous costume*. Truth is, whatever you look like, in ten years you’ll look back and realise you were beautiful. https://t.co/87cfaDdIIU

— Victoria Coren Mitchell (@VictoriaCoren) February 27, 2021

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I think it is seldom actually spoken among men how they also often feel insecure about their bodies, especially if they’ve ever been heavy-set (I know I still am, tbh.). So I have nothing but praise for Jonah Hill for this and his positivity against being shamed by a tabloid rag. https://t.co/eKK8wMSOLk

— Mathew Buck (@FB_BMB) February 27, 2021

As a kid who wore t-shirts in the pool and still deals with body shame issues, this made me so happy to read! One day, I wanna be @JonahHill-confident enough to not give a fuck about what people may think. (But Jonah? Based on your name alone, look out for whales when surfing…) https://t.co/RQxlk3V549

— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) February 27, 2021

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While just about everyone was happy for Hill’s newfound self-confidence and the positive reaction it sparked across social media, some did express a desire for all that positivity to trickle down when it comes to non-celebrities as well as famous women who get dragged in the press for their looks regularly.

It’s so important for men to be represented in these areas, and I’m glad that a famous one has come out to talk about how he’s dealt with it so honestly and openly. Kudos to him! Hopefully it can begin to trigger similar convos about it for men in these industries.

— Steph Yeboah (@StephanieYeboah) February 27, 2021

You just restated Jonah’s intention with his post

— Warp (@AEstartes) February 28, 2021

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The moral of the story is the Daily Mail is creepy trash

— Elizabeth Brogan (@willow88888) February 28, 2021

Still, others were ready to point out that there’s a lot less out there when it comes to “body positivity” for men, and seeing Hill speak out is ultimately only a good thing for anyone dealing with similar insecurities. It’s only too bad rags like the Daily Mail likely won’t stop going out of their way to exacerbate those image-based anxieties for a couple of clicks.

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*First Published: February 28, 2021, 8:45 am