Rob Lowe says he was relentlessly called the f-slur as a child for being ‘pretty’
Lowe told Oprah Winfrey that being seen as “pretty” rather than “cute” made him a target among other children
By Callum Wells
Rob Lowe has revealed he was called the f-slur “24/7” as a child, saying he was targeted with homophobic abuse because people considered him “pretty”.
The actor spoke about the bullying during a conversation with Oprah Winfrey on yesterday’s (20 August) episode of his Literally! With Rob Lowe podcast.
Winfrey asked Lowe how his appearance had affected his life, prompting him to discuss how he was perceived while growing up.
“I got that 24/7” Rob Lowe on being targeted with the f-slur for his looks
“I wish that when I was younger I was cute. What I actually was, was pretty,” Lowe said. “And that as a boy is not what you want to be.”
Lowe said that being seen as “pretty” rather than “cute” made him a target among other children, who repeatedly used an anti-gay slur against him.
“I got that 24/7,” Lowe said. “This is the first time I’ve ever talked about it.”
Lowe connected the bullying to a previous conversation he had with Winfrey about her book What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing, which examines the effects of childhood experiences and trauma.
“But the truth of it is, we know today that that stuff affects you” – Lowe reflecting on the aftermath of his bullying experience
“It is one of the things that happened to me,” Lowe said.
The Oxford Blues star explained that he had generally approached his life with a “never complain, never explain” philosophy.
“So people talk… about me. So what?” Lowe said. “But the truth of it is, we know today that that stuff affects you.”
Lowe also considered whether he would have been able to talk about the bullying had he grown up in a different era.
“If it had happened to me in today’s culture, there would have been an audience for” it, Lowe said.