Jessica Alba covers Marie Claire Magazine wearing an Autumn/Winter 2012 collection Versus dress that makes the eye dance down the sides of her body (it’s a slightly-odd design, and a rather contrived stace to show off the dress, but it kind of works together).
Along with the attached photo shoot, and behind-the-scenes-video, below, Alba gives an interview in which she seems to resent being marketed for her looks as a teenager.
This isn’t the first time she’s complained of the process of being an actor. She previously admitted that she nearly quit acting, several times over, because of people she deemed unprofessional or amateur. Although, the 31-year-old seems to have learned her lesson; she’s not so specific, it’s not so obvious about whom she’s talking, this time.
On being marketed for her looks: “I had a show that premiered when I was 19. And right away, everyone formed a strong opinion about me because of the way I was marketed. I was supposed to be sexy, this tough action girl. That’s what people expected… I felt like I was being objectified, and it made me uncomfortable. I wanted to be chic and elegant!”
On growing into her sexuality: “Now that I’m older, I’ve learned how to own it, but I’m still not very overt. There are some women who dress for men. I dress for myself. It took me some time to get here. Being a mom and feeling grown-up have helped. Now if I’m going to wear something short, it has to have a high neck or a little sci-fi toughness to it, an edge.”
On what changed and turning it around: “I like to get positive attention. But if I have a choice between someone noticing in a negative way what I’m wearing and going, ‘What was she thinking?’ or someone not noticing what I’m wearing, I would rather not make a statement at all and just have a good conversation instead.” - via Marie Claire Magazine.
In related news, Alba gave an interview with iVillage, to whom she said motherhood made her feel more of a woman, echoing some of the same sentiments from her Marie Claire interview.
“It’s really amazing how your perspective shifts and your definition of sexy evolves once you become a mother. Before having Honor and Haven, I was super-critical of my looks and worried more about inevitable changes to my body. I couldn’t even say the word “sexy” to describe myself without feeling funny and awkward.
But becoming a mom has definitely made me feel more confident and secure than I ever did in my 20s. Even though I can’t ever get down to my pre-baby weight before having Honor, my jeans don’t zip up the same way, and things just hang differently (all moms know how that goes!), I feel completely comfortable in my skin and my idea of perfection has changed. I don’t really care about my body image anymore because it just doesn’t matter now that I have children. Instead, I focus on my health, feeling strong, and making sure I’m up and running so I can spend that all-important time with the girls.
Having babies also helped me embrace my sexuality. Up until then, I was quite shy about it. But once I experienced how incredible and amazing it was to create a life, it was empowering. Now, I feel freer to express myself and just be me. Through motherhood I really came into my own and, for me, feeling sexy is all about this type of comfort, confidence, and true happiness.” - via iVillage.
