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"Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" Turns 15: E! News Rewind
Amber Tamblyn is sharing her truth.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants histrion shared for the archetypal clip that she got her ears pinned backmost erstwhile she was 12 years old, and wherefore it's a determination she inactive wrestles with to this day.
"As a small girl, I had ears that stuck retired similar butterfly wings," Tamblyn wrote successful an sentiment portion for The New York Times published Oct. 20. "Some kids astatine my schoolhouse successful Los Angeles would marque amusive of them, and I'd often look astatine myself successful the reflector wishing my ears would laic level against my head."
The 41-year-old wrote that getting her large interruption successful Hollywood—getting formed to play Emily Quartermaine connected General Hospital successful 1995 astatine the property of 12—prompted her to enactment connected her insecurity.
"I opted to acquisition ear-pinning surgery, a determination I've ne'er made nationalist until now," Tamblyn wrote. "For years, my parents watched my conflict with backstage shame, though they understood I was a pugnacious kid who could grip it. But erstwhile I knew millions of radical each implicit the satellite would beryllium judging maine connected their tv screens, not conscionable connected a playground, that cognition changed everything for me."
The actress—whose parents are West Side Story star Russ Tamblyn and Bonnie Tamblyn—described herself arsenic "a fiery young feminist who raged against the patriarchy" who besides felt similar "a hypocrite who gave into it" by deciding to acquisition elective surgery.
"How could anyone not? Going nether the weapon felt similar choosing a limb I could wield successful self-defense against my ain disposability," she reflected. "It showed the satellite that I understood the duty of assimilation—that I could bash immoderate it took to acceptable in, ne'er basal out, the mode my ears erstwhile did."
Craig Sjodin/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images
The Joan of Arcadia prima nodded to the caller movie The Substance—in which Demi Moore's character, a 50-year-old actress, elects to instrumentality an experimental cause that allows her to unrecorded successful a younger assemblage and consciousness desirable by Hollywood again—as reflective of her ain conflicted feelings having been portion of the manufacture since she was a child.
"Over 3 decades, my work not conscionable to my trade of performing but to the show of youthfulness was reinforced constantly," Tamblyn wrote. "Would I beryllium little blessed if I had fought against the tendency to get my ears pinned back, if they inactive stuck retired today?"
She continued, "I don't know—but I bash deliberation astir it often, and astir my willingness to align myself with the industry's expectations."
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
Tamblyn made definite to accidental that she's "not saying that integrative country is atrocious oregon that everyone who elects to alteration their bodies regrets their decision," but besides noted that she thinks The Substance "is a informing to each of america astir what we mightiness beryllium consenting to destruct successful the sanction of desirability."
Ultimately, the longtime Hollywood prima said that she's "quite content" with the way her vocation has taken, but that doesn't wholly erase her analyzable travel with self-acceptance successful an manufacture that has sent her mixed messages.
"I'm besides not immune to wanting to consciousness beauteous and desired, and indulging successful that need," Tamblyn wrote. "I don't apologize for what I've done, oregon for what I haven't."
She continued, "My narration to my assemblage has changed, healed even, arsenic I've go much protective, compassionate and honest."
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