Jennifer Aniston wrote a powerful essay attacking body shaming and Melissa McCarthy has come out in support of the actress’ message. The star of the new Ghostbusters - who, along with her co-stars, has been battling a slew of sexist remarks about her latest film- came out in defence of the Along Came Polly actress and called for society to "stop tearing women down".

Melissa McCarthyMelissa McCarthy has come out to back up Jennifer Aniston

McCarthy told Entertainment Tonight people need to stop focusing on the way women look.

McCarthy, who came to prominence in Gilmore Girls, said: "Everybody needs to stop tearing down women.

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"It’s always about the way we look - saying, ‘He’s very interesting’, ‘He’s a good writer,’ ‘She’s looking older than she was the last time we saw her’."

The 45-year-old said she was behind Aniston, 47, "one hundred thousand billion per cent" and her call for a change in the way women are judged by the way they look in Hollywood.

Jennifer AnistonJennifer Aniston has written an essay calling out the way Hollywood writes about women

McCarthy said: "It’s a ridiculous thing. I just hope it gets to the point where it’s embarrassing for people to have such shallow thoughts."

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Aniston’s essay, entitled For The Record and published on The Huffington Post, asserted that women "are complete with or without a mate, with or without a child.

"We get to decide for ourselves what is beautiful when it comes to our bodies."