She was frequently called out for being overweight and even told she wasn't suitable for a role.
The teen mystery-drama series “Pretty Little Liars” made Ashley Benson renowned for her portrayal of Hanna Marin as the title character. Along with that, some of Ashley’s other well-known works include “Bring It On: In It to Win It,” “Ratter,” “Her Smell,” and “Private Property.”
The actress has also been nominated for three People’s Choice Awards and has won four Teen Choice Awards, a Young Hollywood Award, and other honors.
Nevertheless, despite her many accolades, the actress always receives severe criticism in the past, one of which is in reference to her weight, as she is frequently advised to slim down.
Ashley Benson's Weight Loss Tricks
The main keys to Ashley’s successful weight loss:
- She lost weight by going to the gym
- She does Pilates for an hour three days a week
- She also attempted to box and SoulCycle three times a week
- She doesn’t follow a specific diet plan
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Ashley Benson was told she was "too fat" for a role.
Being subjected to unkind remarks would always bring down a budding artist. It could be related to your appearance, acting prowess, or weight. Ashley is among many who encounter such harsh criticisms in Hollywood.
Ashley described how being informed that she was “too fat” for a role caused her to cry for 30 minutes in an interview with Ocean Drive Magazine back in 2016.
“I was just told I was too fat for a part,” she told the publication. “I’m a size 2! I cried for 30 minutes, but then you have to let it roll off your shoulders, or it could cause a serious eating disorder.”
“A lot of people in this industry hear they need to lose weight more times than they should. It does make you stronger, though. Because if you let that affect you, you can’t be in this industry — you’d go crazy.”
She discussed the same subject in a separate interview with Health Magazine, but this time it was about those who kept telling her she needed to lose weight.
“I get told all the time to lose weight,” Ashley stated. “I got that a month ago. It’s just weird. With my stuff recently, it’s been, ‘You have to be skin and bones, or you’re not getting it. It’s come up a few times in the last few years, like, ‘You’re too fat for this.’ And I’m just sitting here like, ‘Wait, what? Do you want a skeleton?'”
The “Pretty Little Liars” star maintains a positive body image despite the stigma associated with her weight, saying, “I don’t want to lose 20 pounds because I don’t need to…There was a point where it was getting to wear a size two was great. I’m a size 2, but I think that a size 4 is healthy. I think that all of these sizes are healthy.”
She even noted that when she feels that her confidence in her body is not that great, she wears an undergarment. “If I have to go to an event and I’m not feeling my best? Spanx all the way. Even if you don’t need them!”
What is Ashley Benson's workout routine?
With all the negativity surrounding her weight, Ashley has finally decided to lose weight, not because she let those comments eat her, but because of her anxiety as well.
In the same interview with the publication, she revealed, “I started getting panic attacks for two years straight. I could barely go to work. It would get so bad that I would have to leave set,” adding, “That’s part of why I work out, too, because it has canceled out the anxiety.”
The actress lost some weight by going to the gym. Additionally, she attempted to box or do SoulCycle two to three times each week in addition to doing Pilates for an hour three days a week.
There are moments when all she wants to do is nothing, but that makes her feel bad about herself. Ashley also performs squats, but they are for her legs rather than her bum.
“We usually do circuit training, so I’ll do 25 squats, then I’ll run back and forth, and then I’ll do lunges to the other side of the gym both ways, run, then squats. I can’t move for days!”
What is Ashley Benson's diet?
Ashley would always admit that she isn’t the kind of person who enjoys cooking. Because of this, she doesn’t typically prepare meals for herself, but she always eats healthy and doesn’t default to ordering pizza when she can’t.
“I barely cook—I’m really bad at cooking,” she confessed to Delish. “I can make deviled eggs, maybe, but that’s about it.”
The actress further recounted an incident when she attempted to roast a chicken and nearly burnt her face. “I was cooking frozen chicken on a pan in my house, and as I was trying to roll the oil around, the pan caught on fire,” she explained. “My hair—my whole face—almost got burned. It was so scary.”
In the same interview, Ashley said that she would have a hard-boiled egg for breakfast along with iced coffee and a dash of half and half. She would choose between a cheeseburger and a salad for lunch, and she would make the same choice for dinner: either fish or a cheeseburger.
Regarding her cravings, she acknowledges that she had a serious sweet tooth, but she also confessed that she hadn’t eaten a doughnut in at least seven years and maybe just three times since then.
In addition to donuts, she also enjoys cheeseburgers, tacos, pizza, and pasta, “all the things that are kind of bad for you.”
Ashley Benson reminds people that what they see in magazines regarding appearance isn't always real.
Recalling her interview with Ocean Drive Magazine, Ashley brought up the fact that not all magazine photographs are authentic and that models aren’t always picture-perfect.
“I saw photos from a shoot of myself just the other day and thought, ‘What the hell? That doesn’t even look like me!’ I hate to think that girls are like, ‘She’s so skinny! Her skin is so perfect!’ I have pimples just like they do,” she said.
Fans reactions to Ashley Benson's Weight Loss Journey.
On social media, fans have been talking about Ashley Benson’s weight loss journey. Some fans have praised her commitment and effort, while others have expressed worry about the pressure on Hollywood stars to maintain a specific body ideal.
“Props to Ashley Benson for handling her weight like a boss 👊,” one Twitter user wrote to praise the actress’ weight loss journey. Meanwhile, the following fans expressed worry for her, writing, “Ashley benson lost a lot of weight. I think she looked better way back in that bring it on movie,” and another user saying, “Ashley benson has lost waaay too much weight.” Nonetheless, Benson’s transformation serves as an inspiration for those trying to live a healthy lifestyle through food and exercise.