Models are put under enormous pressure.. it’s not real
Star reveals how show lays bare ‘gritty’ reality of eating disorders
RISING star Niamh Mccormack has lifted the lid on how modelling glamorises diet culture.
The Dublin star was a catwalk model in Milan aged 16 before gaining notoriety as an actress and said social media is perpetuating the thin craze.
Niamh, 22, told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “Models are put under enormous pressure, it’s not real life, it’s not attainable. It really consumes you.
“Weight loss is glamorised in the modelling industry and on Instagram and I had a lot of experiences like that.
“We can’t ignore the fact that it gives girls body issues.”
The Dublin actress came to fame in the high-profile show The Witcher and movies Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and The Magic Flute.
Now she’s centre stage in teen Netflix series Everything Now.
The comedy drama centres around
Mia (Sophie Wilde) who returns to school following months of treatment for an eating disorder.
Niamh plays Alison, Sophie’s feisty friend whose straight talking often lands her in trouble.
The cast knew they had a responsibility to handle the eating disorder issue sensitively.
Niamh explained: “It’s not glamorising it or showing it in a light that’s attainable.
“It’s showing the real gritty side to how it really affects not only the person suffering, but also everyone else around her, and her family and friends.
“It’s real. It’s series writer
Ripley Parker’s real first-hand account of her eating disorder.”
The model turned actor insisted it’s about time talented Irish women had their moment.
She said: “Irish women are completely overlooked in the industry.
“It’s our time. I think we’re kind of getting a look in now which we deserve.”
She said she’s learned to ignore trolls online.
She continued: “As your career progresses, people always have an issue, because a lot of people forget to separate an actor from a character.
“They think that you’re very similar to the person you play. People will always have something to say, especially if you’re in a show that they love, and maybe they think that you did a bad job, and they’ll send you a little message.
“But it’s not really a problem in my life. I’m not looking for the trolls, sometimes they’ll pop up and I’ll just go, okay, block them.”
Niamh was bullied growing up for being “different”.
She added: “I stood out like a sore thumb. When you’re in school, you’re always trying to blend in. “I was just different. “And I think people were not intimidated by it, but unsure of what to do.
“Your experiences make you who you are and the things you’ve been through shape your outlook on life and how you want to approach it.
“I’m just grateful that it’s worked in my favour where I’ve just become an artist – I just do me.”
We can’t ignore the fact it gives girls body issues NIAMH MCCORMACK ACTRESS AND MODEL