Peter Griffin‘s great aunt, Legs Go All the Way Up Griffin, was a gag enjoyed by more than just “Family Guy” fans, but Chloë Grace Moretz didn’t find the joke funny.
In an interview with Hunger magazine, the “Miseducation of Cameron Post” star shared that memes comparing her to the short-lived “Family Guy” character — whose body is nothing more than a pair of long legs under a face and arms — negatively impacted her self-image.
“Everyone was making fun of my body and I brought it up with someone and they were like, ‘Oh, shut the f— up, it’s funny,’” she told Hunger. “And I just remember sitting there and thinking, my body is being used as a joke and it’s something that I can’t change about who I am, and it is being posted all over Instagram.”
In the interview published last Tuesday, the actor recalled being in the public eye for a majority of her life, and how her body garnered attention on social media. Moretz spoke specifically about a paparazzi photo in 2016 that captured her carrying leftover pizza into a hotel. In the photo, the actor was dressed in a black shirt, shorts and high heels.
But when Moretz’s photo circulated the internet, trolls had their way with it, altering the photo to look like Moretz had a shorter torso. They then compared the actor with the “Family Guy” character, who appeared in the 2011 episode “Amish Guy.”
“It was something so benign as walking into a hotel with leftovers,” she said. “And to this day, when I see that meme, it’s something very hard for me to overcome.”
She said she “was kind of sad” and felt “super self-conscious” getting dressed and appearing in front of cameras after the meme poked fun at her body.
“I think that body dysmorphia — which we all deal with in this world — is extrapolated by the issues of social media,” said Moretz. “It’s a headf—.”
Since becoming a “recluse” as a result of the jokes about her body, the “Hugo” actor eased her way back into the spotlight. She most recently appeared in the films “Mother/Android,” “Tom & Jerry” and “Shadow in the Cloud.”