Bella Thorne called out “inappropriate” sexualization of herself as a minor as she attended the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
Thorne, 25, claimed a man looking to get her autograph on a bunch of items only wanted her to sign “sexy” images of her — which included one of her at 16 years old.
“I normally don’t tell them off but they offended me,” Thorne explained after being asked about the group of autograph seekers while being interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter. “It was this guy and he was shoving photos in front of me and I looked away for a second and looked back and there was a photo of me from my GQ magazine cover.”
“It’s super sexy and my butt is out and I’m wearing lingerie and I’m topless,” she added. “I said I wouldn’t sign that and he took it away and then put it back in front of me again. I said, ‘No, I’m not signing that.’ He pulled out another photo of a magazine with another sexy image. He was like, ‘Come on, Bella. Sign it for me.’ I didn’t like it. It was inappropriate.”
Bella Thorne criticized an autograph seeker who wanted her to sign “sexy” images of her young self. (Getty Images)
BELLA THORNE SAYS THE DISNEY CHANNEL ALMOST FIRED HER FOR WEARING A BIKINI AT 14
Thorne emphasized that she doesn’t necessarily care about signing autographs for people, but she took issue with the specific images of herself that he wanted to be signed.
“There was some stuff there from a Candies campaign that I did when I was 16 and it was clear that he wanted me to sign things that were viewed as sexy and even underage and I was like, ‘Give me something else.’ He said, ‘Aren’t they all sexy?’ No, enough is enough,” she continued. “But I get it, they have to make money and everyone has a job so I get that. It was just that I was under 18 and it’s inappropriate.”
The former Disney Channel star admitted she “definitely” rethinks some of those images as she’s gotten older.
“Definitely, but it’s just that, I wouldn’t do that now. You also can’t spend your time trying to take back these moments or moments that you were too sexy or think that being a woman is only this or that,” Thorne explained. “That’s what my other short addresses, it’s about growing up and being told from a very young age or by experiences that life as a woman means that people are either going to take something from you or you’re going to give it to them. It’s not always going to be your choice. And how do you deal with that?”
Bella Thorne attended Sundance Film Festival in January. (Getty Images)
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Bella Thorne gained fame at a young age. (Getty Images)
The actress also noted that she feels she “made it out” of child stardom “pretty clean.”
“I also think when you’re growing up, now you have boobs all of a sudden and everything’s growing and become more and more intense. You start liking people and everything changes,” she told the outlet. “But for me, I actually made it out pretty clean. I could’ve done so many worse things as so many teenagers do. I didn’t have really rough issues with mental [health] or get stuck in a really dark place where you don’t want to get out of bed. I mean, I’ve definitely been there but I have been pretty lucky.”
Thorne launched her career with the Disney channel show “Shake It Up” after a handful of smaller roles.
She went on to star in “Blended,” “The Babysitter,” “The DUFF” and “Infamous.” The actress also released music including the single “Watch Me” and a couple of EPs.
Thorne also dabbled in the adult film industry with the release of “Her & Him,” which she directed.
The actress previously explained to Fox News Digital how she transitioned out of being labeled as a Disney star.
Bella Thorne starred in “Shake It Up” alongside Zendaya. (Getty Images)
“I stopped worrying about what the world was thinking of me and started focusing on my true fans that loved me. After Disney, I had the opportunity to find my true self and that is reflected in all my work from acting, producing, directing, and writing,” she said. “I have more artistic freedom to continue to express myself.”
Thorne also noted that she had some regrets from her time working for Disney.
“I wish I would have been true to myself. When it came to filming, I would talk in a higher voice or do different things to make myself appear more innocent,” Thorne explained. “It made me feel like a liar because I had to pretend to be someone I was not — even if it made me famous.”
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