Jennifer Love Hewitt claps back at claims she looks ‘unrecognisable’

Jennifer Love Hewitt has responded to claims she looks “unrecognisable” after her recent hair transformation.

The Ghost Whisperer alum, 44, recently spoke out against the pressures put on women as they age in Hollywood. During an episode of the Inside of You podcast on 5 December, Hewitt acknowledged the widespread reaction after she debuted a blunt bob haircut back in August.

“Ageing in Hollywood is really hard. You can’t do anything right,” she told podcast host Michael Rosenbaum. The I Know What You Did Last Summer star recalled the moment she posted a photo of her hair transformation to Instagram over the summer, in which she traded in her signature blonde tresses for red wine-coloured, shoulder-length hair with long curtain bangs.

However, Hewitt was immediately deemed “unrecognisable” by both fans and news outlets.

“I was getting my hair done and I had not a stitch of makeup on. So, I threw on a filter. I really gave it no thought,” she said during the podcast. “The picture ended up somewhere, and a bunch of people were like: ‘Jennifer Love Hewitt is unrecognisable. She’s unrecognisable, so she’s gone to filters because she doesn’t want us to know how bad she actually looks now in her 40s.’”

The 9-1-1 star described the fan reaction to her selfie as “crazy”. At the time, she jokingly responded to the criticism by “trying to make fun of it” and posting photos with “over the top” filters on her face. Still, Hewitt explained that even joking about the backlash to her appearance caused outrage too.

“They were like: ‘Well, now she’s just defending herself and why is she defending?’” Hewitt said. “I realised I can do no right.”

When asked why she doesn’t simply ignore the haters, she candidly added: “To pretend that we don’t is a lie.”

Jennifer Love Hewitt isn’t the only female celebrity to address the double standards women face when it comes to ageing in the entertainment industry. Most recently, actor Meg Ryan broke her silence amid constant claims she also looks “unrecognisable” and has undergone plastic surgery.

In an interview with Glamour published in November, the Sleepless in Seattle star took the opportunity to call out society’s obsession with age. “Our culture is so obsessed with youth,” Ryan said. “As an old person now, I love my age. I love where I’m at. Ageing is not that terrifying. We’re all doing it. I wish someone had told me earlier: ‘Just relax. It is what it is. Don’t pay attention to the obstacles.’”

Back in May, Ryan was deemed “unrecognisable” during her “first public outing in six months” at a screening for Michael J Fox’s documentary, Still, in New York City. The description was quickly met with backlash, as many fans suggested it was “misogynistic”.

Ryan admitted that she simply ignores the negative comments in order to protect her own mental health. “I can’t pay attention to it. I just can’t,” she said. “It’s not worth it. Of course that would hurt someone’s feelings, but there are so many more interesting things to think about. Meanness and hatred are just so stupid.”