Keira Knightley has singled out the 2000s style item she would never wear again.
The Bend It Like Beckham star, 39, who starred as footballer Juliet in Gurinder Chadha’s 2002 comedy sport drama, frequently donned low rise jeans and crop tops on red carpets in the Nineties and early Noughties.
Knightley said she was shocked by the resurgence of what the internet has since dubbed “Y2k” style and insisted she could not wear the tiny tops and loose trousers combo she used to love today.
Speaking to The Times, Knightly revealed she felt surprised when she saw a group of girls on the tube dressed in a similar style to her in her youth.
“It was all about my midriff,” she said. “I was like, ‘Hang on, are they my clothes?’ I don’t have the midriff any more, so it’s not coming out.”
The Official Secrets star also admitted she can no longer walk in heels and instead opts for a pair of practical Dr Martens boots.
“I’ve got a brown pair and a black pair, and it’s very hard to ever take them off,” she said. “I’ve no idea how to walk in heels any more.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Knightley reflected on the scrutiny she faced during her early days in the spotlight when there was constant speculation that she had an eating disorder.
While she said she knew she wasn’t dealing with an eating disorder, since she “was eating,” the scrutiny about her appearance was still extremely hurtful. “In that classic trauma way I don’t remember it,” she recalled.
“There’s been a complete delete, and then some things will come up and I’ll suddenly have a very bodily memory of it because, ultimately, it’s public shaming, isn’t it?
“It’s obviously part of my psyche, given how young I was when it happened. I’ve been made around.”Knightley explained that back in the early 2000s, mental health wasn’t discussed as openly as it is now.
She also recalled the immense criticism celebrities received then, referring to how Mary-Kate Olsen was mocked after she entered rehab for her eating disorder in 2004.
“I remember viscerally one of the Olsen twins had anorexia, and she went into a clinic,” the Pride & Prejudice star said.
“I remember being asked about it on a press tour, like it was a joke. She was meant to be shamed for seeking help for anorexia. I remember sitting there just being like, ‘Wow, this is wild.’”
“Can you imagine?” she added. “That made me really emotional. That’s not even about me, it’s about her. I still can’t bear it.”
