Emily Atack details online abuse and tabloid “misogyny” in wake of ‘The Inbetweeners’ breakout

“I’m really standing firm in saying there is a massive issue here"

Emily Atack has detailed online abuse and tabloid “misogyny” in the wake of her breakout in The Inbetweeners.

The actress played the role of Charlotte Hinchcliffe in the E4 comedy series between 2008 and 2010, though opened up about the dark side of fame following the show’s success.

Recalling photoshoots she did for lads mags at the time, Atack said she didn’t consider that a “narrative was being painted for” her, revealing the abuse she received.

“People go, ‘How can you not expect it? You’re stood up there in your pants, going, ‘Look at me!’” she told The Guardian. “But in my head, I wasn’t doing that. I wasn’t putting myself out there in an overtly sexual way. Genuinely, I was just doing a photoshoot to promote my work.”

The star further explained that tabloids would write articles about her dating life and weight, which made her insecure and “confused”.

“I’d never had an issue with my weight before,” she recalled. “I’d never even given it thought that I was overweight. I was a child, really. I was tiny. I must have been a size eight. And there was an article saying that I was overweight, then another, saying, ‘But it is good that, for once, we’re seeing a curvier girl playing one of the sexy roles.’

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“And I’m thinking, ‘Am I curvy?’ I couldn’t believe it was even a topic. [People would say] ‘She’s clearly very overweight, this girl’, ‘She needs to lay off the bacon sandwiches.’ All of a sudden, my weight was a thing. And since then, my weight has always been a thing.”

She added of the confusing nature of the discourse: “When it came to press and headlines, I was either ‘flaunting my ample assets’, or they’d deliberately try to get the most hideous photo of me with chins, bending over, so they’d say, ‘Pals fear for Emily as she gains weight.’

“But then, on the other hand, I was being put on the front cover of FHM as the sexiest woman in Britain. I just didn’t get it. I didn’t know if I was really beautiful or really ugly. The thing I was seeing in the mirror started to disintegrate and change. I’d obviously been seeing something different to everybody else. I just didn’t understand.”

Atack went on to suggest that much of coverage was due to “anger towards women,” elaborating: “Men are so angry with sexy women. It’s like, ‘We’ll give you a little bit of power, but not too much. Here, you look nice on this front cover, but also, you’re a fat, ugly pig.’”

Reflecting on where she stands now, Atack said: “I’m really standing firm in saying there is a massive issue here: misogyny isn’t going anywhere.”

Last year, Atack fronted BBC documentary Emily Atack: Asking For It?, which detailed her experiences of cyber-flashing, harassment and rape threats.

The star will next be seen in Jilly Cooper adaptation Rivals on Disney+, where she will take on the role of Sarah Stratton.