Lily James Explains Why Her Waist Looks Tiny in ‘Cinderella’ Gown

Star Lily James wants to set the record straight on why her waist looks so teeny in her gorgeous blue “Cinderella” ball gown.

Responding to rumors and backlash that the images were digitally altered, James said at a press event (via People.com), "In the blue dress, it was designed so that it was really pulled in at the waist. But also, the fact that the skirt's so big, it's almost an illusion. It looks way smaller than it is."

“Cinderella” costume designer Sandy Powell concurred, telling People, "It's exaggerated by the proportion of the dress. The diameter of the skirt is so enormous, and it's also broader at the shoulders. That's drawing your eye right to that tiny waist."

James slammed critics, telling the L.A. Times, "I think it's all very hypocritical, and they contradict themselves, and they're drawing more attention to it.”

The lovely star also admitted to E! that she couldn't eat much because of a constricting corset under the dress, which she didn't have to wear for long periods of time.

The actress said, "When [the corset] was on we would be on continuous days so we wouldn't stop for lunch or a lovely tea like this. You'd be sort of eating on the move. In that case, I couldn't untie the corset. So if you ate food it didn't really digest properly and I'd be burping all afternoon in [Richard Madden]'s face, and it was just really sort of unpleasant. I'd have soup so that I could still eat but it wouldn't get stuck."

[photo: Getty]