Submitted By Johnathan D. Kindall
Actress Megan Fox, famous for her roles in films like Jennifer’s Body and Transformers, has been let down by Hollywood and the entertainment industry time and time again. The actress, who from a young age has been sexualized and turned into something she never wanted to be, is actually an incredibly talented and thoughtful performer, despite the narrative you might have heard in the mid-2000s. Here’s 5 ways that Hollywood failed Megan Fox, as well as a number of reasons why she’s actually great.
1. Dancing in a Bikini at 15 Years Old
The first time Fox met Michael Bay, the director who she would later work with on Transformers, was on set for Bad Boys II. While making the film, Bay had the young actress dress in a stars-and-stripes bikini and dance under a waterfall, even though Fox was only 15 years old at the time. This was all just for a role as an extra too. All the way back to one of her first major movie roles, Fox has been sexualized by filmmakers and audiences alike, even while she was still underage.
2. Sexualized in Transformers
It doesn’t stop there though. When Megan Fox starred alongside Shai LeBouf in Bay’s Transformers, she was turned into an international sex symbol seemingly overnight, something she never once asked for. Nearly every shot of Fox in Transformers focuses on her body, which, conveniently, is always clothed in next to nothing. Michael Bay also reportedly had Fox wash his personal car while he filmed as an “audition” for Transformers, something that is quite clearly a horrible abuse of power.
3. Fired From Transformers
When Fox began to speak up about her mistreatment in interviews, she was met not with understanding or outrage, but instead with a dismissal of her claims and a continuous sexualiztion of her body and self. In a clip from Jimmy Kimmel LIVE, Kimmel and the audience laugh and make jokes when Fox describes her mistreatment. It’s also reported that a 2009 interview with Wonderland—in which Fox called Michael Bay out for his behavior—directly led to her removal from the Transformers franchise. And not only was she fired; a group of Transformers crew members also released a “open letter” soon afterward that called Fox “ungracious” and ‘trailer trash” among other insults. All this too for speaking her truth about how she was mistreated and sexualized by men on set. 
4. Not Included in the Me Too Movement
Even after the recent #MeToo movement, which gave a voice to many women in the entertainment industry, it seems as if Megan Fox is still fighting for her redemption and recognition. In an 2019 interview with Jennifer’s Body screenwriter Diablo Cody, Fox said this: “I don’t feel like there’s a space in feminism for me, even though I consider myself a feminisit. I feel like feminists don’t want me to be a part of their group.” Conversations about #MeToo have rarely considered Megan Fox, but it’s far past time that they start.
5. Not Given a Second Chance
The last way that Hollywood failed Megan Fox is by seemingly refusing to let her have a comeback. After leaving Transformers, Fox acted in very few roles that allowed her to really shine and was instead regulated to a number of “pretty girl” roles. Just like Marilyn Monroe and others before her, once the American public decided Fox was a sex symbol it seems hell-bent on not letting her be anything else. It’s a shame too, because the actress is a talented woman with a lot to say. Here’s hoping that Hollywood wakes up and realizes as much soon!
Even after the recent #MeToo movement, which gave a voice to many women in the entertainment industry, it seems as if Megan Fox is still fighting for her redemption and recognition. In an 2019 interview with Jennifer’s Body screenwriter Diablo Cody, Fox said this: “I don’t feel like there’s a space in feminism for me, even though I consider myself a feminisit. I feel like feminists don’t want me to be a part of their group.” Conversations about #MeToo have rarely considered Megan Fox, but it’s far past time that they start.
5. Not Given a Second Chance
The last way that Hollywood failed Megan Fox is by seemingly refusing to let her have a comeback. After leaving Transformers, Fox acted in very few roles that allowed her to really shine and was instead regulated to a number of “pretty girl” roles. Just like Marilyn Monroe and others before her, once the American public decided Fox was a sex symbol it seems hell-bent on not letting her be anything else. It’s a shame too, because the actress is a talented woman with a lot to say. Here’s hoping that Hollywood wakes up and realizes as much soon!
Article submitted by Johnathan D Kindall, B.S. Journalism
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