The Odyssey actress Anne Hathaway won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2013 for Les Misérables, and afterward she faced a wave of public backlash often nicknamed "Hathahate."
Why did she receive all the hate? Her Oscar acceptance speech and general demeanor struck many as too polished or performative. It led to the accusations that she seemed to be "trying too hard" to be liked and gracious.
There is a more interesting reason, though. Hollywood actress Jennifer Lawrence was getting more popular around the same time. She was deemed more relatable and down-to-earth persona. In contrast, Anne's more controlled, earnest public image was contrasted unfavorably against that. A section of the media explicitly pitted the two against each other. Various clips and quotes from earlier in her career got recirculated and reinterpreted as evidence of insincerity or self-regard. Articles like The Cut’s “Why Do Women Hate Anne Hathaway (But Love Jennifer Lawrence)?” in 2013 directly highlighted differences in their red-carpet and interview personas. Other pieces (published in Vanity Fair, New York Times) discussed the dynamic during awards season.
