Lily Allen Would Rather Look Like Someone Else

Things can get "hard out here," and here's a story that proves it: Lily Allen is on the March cover of Elle UK, and she’s unfiltered, as always, when discussing expectations of women in the media. The popstar told the magazine:

Of course I’d rather look like Kate Moss than look like myself. I wish I didn’t feel like that, and I think the reason we feel like that is because of the imagery we’re fed all the time. Women are still expected, in some weird way, to kind of… Sit there and look pretty. And not talk.

After a three-year hiatus as a stay-at-home mom, Allen released Hard Out Here in November. From the liposuction table to the dance floor, the singer made headlines by flat-out crooning the words many women have wanted to say. Her cross-armed, girl-don't-care look shot by David Vasiljevic on the March magazine cover reaches an equal level of empowerment.

However, hearing that even she — the eccentric, mod, big-eyed beauty — would rather look like a supermodel is somewhat surprising. After the debut of her successful and strong-willed song, dubbed a “feminist anthem” by Rolling Stone , how could Allen even think about trading in her body? Maintaining her relatable image, she shows that she, too, feels the weight of societal pressures. We can identify — and it brings the queen of witty, sassy song all the more down to earth.

Allen says she has become impatient with the role women continue to play in society:

So often, when women say things that are outspoken, or as I call it just saying things, people jump on that and try to make us look stupid for having an opinion. That doesn’t happen with men. Come on, we’ve done feminism. People are aware of it. Can it just happen now?

By comparing herself to another magazine starlet, Allen reminds us of the time when models, and not celebrities, graced the covers of glossies. The shift began when Anna Wintour took over at Vogue and made Madonna a cover star, which helped catalyze a 40 percent spike in sales.

Actress Busy Philipps provided insight on this industry game-changer in her interview with Amanda de Cadenet for “The Conversation:”

13 years ago, every cover of every magazine wasn't actresses, it was mostly models and then actresses would be featured inside. And now every actress is expected to also be a model.

Actresses seem to have begun feeling the need to meet the same high standards as the average woman reading magazines. Yet, the decision to make covers personality-driven seemed like it would lead to a new image of beauty altogether; hilarious celebs-turned-cover stars like Adele, Melissa McCarthy, and Mindy Kaling have helped to redefine modern beauty.

But, now we wonder, would they all rather look like Kate Moss, too? Allen's full interview in Elle UK hits newsstands January 30.