Did Sophia Loren Really Say She Would Rather ‘Eat Pasta And Drink Wine Than Be Size Zero?’

Sophia Loren is, beyond being a Hollywood Golden Age actress, a fashion icon, a former beauty queen, and an Italian cuisine enthusiast. She is known for her iconic lines in movies and some of her famous quotes during interviews. However, there has been a debate as to whether she made a specific statement that has continued to be quoted time and time again.

Netizens recently debated whether Sophia Loren said she would “rather eat pasta and drink wine than be a size zero” in 1965. The quote was posted alongside a photo of the star in matching two-piece underwear.

Did Sophia Loren really make that statement?

Loren’s Italian origins quite negate the fact that she made such a statement since size zero is not a thing in Europe. Size zero is on the sizing for US women’s clothing, so whoever said such must have been an American resident or shopper. Interestingly, another American with the same first name was alleged to have uttered her preference for “wine and pasta” over being “size zero.”

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Sophia Bush, who is recognized for her roles in the TV series One Tree Hill and Chicago P.D., has been attributed to the phrase, “Life is too short, and I’m Italian. I’d rather eat pasta and drink wine than be a size zero.” However, like Loren, there is no absolute confirmation that Bush—who was named after Loren—said that.

Back then, size 8 was the smallest women’s clothing on the racks; however, the concept of size zero was introduced as beauty standards evolved. “Fashion did not invent size zero— the phrase emerged in LA in the early 1990s to describe the desired shape of aspiring Hollywood actors,” an article from a 2017 The Guardian issue stated.

Time also referenced a statement explaining that the sizing recommendations of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) “evolved over time to accommodate a very real trend— vanity sizing.”

“Women don’t want to know their real size, so manufacturers re-label bigger sizes with smaller numbers. We can see size inflation happening over shorter time spans as well; a size 2 in the 2011 ASTM standard falls between a 1995 standard size 4 and 6…The 1995 ASTM standard listed a size 2. In 2011, ASTM listed a standard for size 00,” they said.