10 Celebrities Who Fought Back Against Thin-Shaming

Kendall Jenner, Ariana Grande and Emma Stone are a few celebrities who have been thin-shamed. With the rise of social media, body-shaming is everywhere on the internet. It doesn’t matter what size, shape or weight someone is—body-shamers will always find a reason to criticize them. Jenner, Grande and Stone are three stars who have been criticized for being “too thin”—and fought back.

Every body is beautiful, and these stars are here to prove that body-shaming of any kind is unacceptable. Whether it’s comments on social media or headlines speculating about someone’s health, these A-listers are done with the negativity and aren’t afraid to fire back at body-shamers and speak out against thin-shaming. It’s impossible to judge someone else’s health based on an Instagram or a red carpet picture. Not only is it impossible, but it’s hurtful to make assumptions about someone because of their outward appearance. The only health a person can know is their own. Let’s stop body-shaming of every kind.

Sarah Hyland

Hyland has never been scared to shut down her body-shamers. Her most recent thin-shaming came after the 2018 Oscars Vanity Fair Party when she posted a photo of her in her dress and body-shamers told her she looked too thin. In response to her thin-shamers, Hyland edited her Instagram caption to let the haters know that she thought she looked amazing, and that was all that mattered. “In response to the negative comments on this post? I’d like to say 3 things… 1.) 2.) I looked amazing 3.) Even more importantly.. I FELT AMAZING and that’s all that matters ” she wrote.

In May 2017, Hyland explained her recent weight loss, which was a result of her kidney dysplasia and her inability to work out. She responded to her critics, some of whom accused her of being “anorexic,” on Twitter, writing. “My circumstances have put me in a place where I’m not in control of what my body looks like. So I strive to be as healthy as possible, as everyone should.

She added, “My self confidence is not rendered from your comments,” she added. “Because I will always be too fat. I will always be too skinny. I will never have enough curves to be called a woman. And I will always be a slut for wearing a push up bra. Love the you you set out to be. Be the best version of yourself. Be healthy.”

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Ruby Rose

Rose found herself in a thin-shaming controversy in October 2017 when she posted an Instagram of her in a crop top. The photo showed Rose with her stomach exposed, which led several users to shame her for looking too thin. When one user asked Rose to “inspire fans” by putting on more weight, the Orange Is the New Black actress responded by shutting them down.

“How could I inspire people to overcome something I know nothing about? I can inspire them to go plant based and stop eating the nasty processed food, fast food and cancer causing foods,” she commented.  “I can inspire them not to drink soda or alcohol and how to train well … but maybe you can train yourself to stop seeing what you think is the only way to achieve someone else’s body type.”

She later took to her Instagram story to further shut down her thin-shamers. “Body shaming SH*TS ME. It’s so frustrating,” she wrote. “Not because I care about what someone thinks of my body. I love my body when I don’t work out and I am soft and I love it when I train hard and feel strong. I hate it because it worries fans or shames them. I hate it because it uses no logic and basically is just someone projecting their experience and expectations on others.”

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Lucy Hale

As an eating disorder survivor, Hale couldn’t stay silent when someone called her body “that anorexia look” on Twitter in September 2017. “@lucyhale No straight men are signing off on that anorexic look –that’s for gay guys & fashionistas, we want you to please eat a hamburger,” the user tweeted.

Hale slammed the user for trivializing eating disorders and making assumptions about her health. “I am disgusted that a man would even think of saying these absolutely awful words to a woman. You should be ashamed of yourself,” she tweeted back. “As someone who used to struggle with anorexia, I don’t take these comments lightly. Im healthy and happy and you don’t know me.”

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Kendall Jenner

In a 2017 interview with Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, Jenner opened up about being told she’s “too skinny” and how the criticism is as bad as any other form of body-shaming. “I’m constantly criticized for being too skinny,” she said. “I’m trying to gain weight but my body won’t let it happen. What people don’t understand is that calling someone too skinny is the same as calling someone too fat. It’s not a nice feeling.”

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria’s Secret.

Gigi Hadid

In February 2018, Hadid took to her Twitter to defend herself after she was criticized for her weight loss after several years in the modeling industry. Hadid explained that when she started as a model at 17 she was undiagnosed with Hashmito’s disease, which caused a weight gain. But after she sought medical attention, she was able to control her weight to what it would be naturally.

“For those of you so determined to come up w why my body has changed over the years, you may not know that when I started @ 17 I was not yet diagnosed w/Hashimoto’s disease; those of u who called me “too big for the industry” were seeing inflammation & water retention due to that,” she tweeted. “Over the last few years I’ve been properly medicated to help symptoms including those, as well as extreme fatigue, metabolism issues, body’s ability to retain heat, etc … I was also part of a holistic medical trial that helped my thyroid levels balance out.”

She added, “Although stress & excessive travel can also affect the body, I have always eaten the same, my body just handles it differently now that my health is better. I may be “too skinny” for u, honestly this skinny isn’t what I want to be, but I feel healthier internally and am still learning and growing with my body everyday, as everyone is.”

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Gal Gadot

When Gadot was first cast as Wonder Woman in 2015, the backlash was immediate from those who believed that she was “too skinny” to play the DC Comics superhero. In an interview with Robot Underdog, Gadot responded to the criticism and how it didn’t phase her.

“They said that I was too skinny and my boobs were too small … They said my head was too big and my body was like a broomstick,” she said. “I can take anything. It’s just empty talk,” the actress added. “I can understand that part of what I’m doing means being exposed. And part of being exposed is being under fire.”

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic.

Emma Stone

In a 2014 interview with Seventeen, Stone responded to body-shamers who criticized her for losing weight and accused her of doing so because of Hollywood pressures. Stone slammed the body-shamers, explaining that her weight loss was a result of age—not pressures.

“It can be really challenging in today’s world for anyone—especially girls and women—to feel good about their bodies,” Stone said. “No matter how things look from the outside, we can all be super critical of ourselves and of our image in the mirror. I’ve seen articles or comments that have addressed my weight, or ‘caving to pressure to be thin.'”

She continued, “”Keeping weight on is a struggle for me—especially when I’m under stress, and especially as I’ve gotten older. That’s the way my genes have decided to go, and things will change as time goes on, as does everything. So when completely untrue statements are made about me or my health, of course a part of me wants to defend.”

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic.

Bella Hadid

Ahead of the 2018 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Hadid instagrammed herself in some of lingerie from the fitting, which led to body-shaming from those who believed she looked too thin. After the criticism, Hadid later edited her Instagram caption to slam those who made assumptions about her weight and health. “all body types are different and react differently to a great workout routine and a healthy diet,” she wrote.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria’s Secret.

Ariana Grande

Grande was body-shamed in November 2015 when an Instagram user said they would prefer Ariel Winter over Grande because “curves are sexy. sticks aren’t.” Grande screenshotted the comment and posted it on her Twitter, slamming the user for comparing two women and suggesting “they’re on display” for the approval of men.

“We live in a day and age where people make it IMPOSSIBLE for women, men, anyone to embrace themselves exactly how they are,” she wrote. “Diversity is sexy! Loving yourself is sexy!” Then she listed a number of things that are decidedly unsexy, such as misogyny, “labeling” and judging peoples’ bodies “as if they’re on display ASKING for your approval/opinion. THEY ARE NOT!!!”

Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Huffington Post.

Zendaya

After Zendaya shut down Giuliana Rancic’s criticism of her dreadlocks following the 2015 Oscars, the former Disney Channel star was criticized for her appearance again by comedian Julie Klausner. In March 2016, Klausner tweeted, “Zendaya’s ultimate retort to Giuliana Rancic is starving herself down to the size of one of her elbowz.”

Like the queen she is, Zendaya responded, educating Klausner on why body-shaming isn’t a joke. “Do you find this funny? I will write another paragraph to educate you as well,” she tweeted. “Now….everyone go look in the mirror at their beautiful body, and love that shit #thickgirlswinning #skinnygirlswinning #weallwinning”

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