Melissa McCarthy On ELLE Cover, Another Weight-Related Controversy

Actress Melissa McCarthy is on the cover of Elle for their “Women In Hollywood” issue, but yet again the star is unable to get away with simply being photographed in a high-profile way and her size not being the focus.

Of all her peers, Melissa McCarthy is one of the few women in Hollywood seemingly unconcerned with the beauty standard and her own body. McCarthy herself seems cool with her appearance, but even still, it comes to issue every now and again — like it is this week with the awesome new cover shot.

McCarthy looks amazing. But her outfit on the prominent mag’s cover nonetheless has rankled her plus-size sisters, due to the fact she’s basically swimming in it.

Melissa is wearing a voluminous gray wool coat in a kind of retro-vibed look — but unlike a similar cover of Reese Witherspoon, for instance, McCarthy’s form is hidden by the garment.

Stylist Dawn Del Russo said of the controversy:

“I definitely think [the cover] is a step in the right direction since it is almost a full length cover photo… The coat is on trend now but for future covers, I would hope fuller figured women are complimented by tailored clothing.”

This isn’t the first time Melissa McCarthy’s body and how it is depicted has been a source of frustration for plus-sized women. When her Sandra Bullock buddy cop movie The Heat was released, a promo poster with the pair on it was heavily photoshopped — so much so that McCarthy was nearly unrecognizable.

ELLE denies masking the star’s curvy figure, saying:

“On all of our shoots, our stylists work with the stars to choose pieces they feel good in, and this is no different: Melissa loved this look, and is gorgeous on our cover. We are thrilled to honor her as one of our Women in Hollywood this year.”

McCarthy herself even spoke up indirectly, saying of the drama that until she is “stopped at the gate,” she will keep “showing up.” Which is like 17 shades of awesome, regardless.

We think Melissa McCarthy’s ELLE cover looks fantastic, but it is true that other “Women In Hollywood” stars were in far less un-revealing outfits — and we’d love to see some styled shots of the gorgeous star in more fitted looks.