Model Gigi Hadid wrote a lengthy response on her Instagram earlier today clapping back at Internet trolls who criticized her body. The statement is confident and awe-inspiring, especially coming from someone so young. (Gigi is only 20 and handles these haters like a champ.) However, the fact she even has to address them at all is ridiculous.
Because Gigi is stunning. According to Daily Mail, trolls particularly have issues with her “fat and cellulite” and un-model-like “bum”—both ludicrous. Here is Gigi’s response, if you haven’t read it:
This isn’t a simple, “Fuck the haters” defense. Gigi goes in-depth about the fashion industry’s changing climate and the fact she can fit into sample runway sizes. She declares proudly she has curves. Even cooler, she remains unapologetic about her status as a top model. If you don’t like her, simply don’t look. It will not affect her hustle one damn bit. Again, this statement is nothing but positive, and it will certainly do wonders for young girls who aren’t stick thin struggling with self-image issues.
However, again, why does this beautiful girl—who, please remember, is slim by normal standards—have to pull out the heavy artillery? Have we become so warped as a society that healthy-looking people are deemed unworthy? Yes, I’m aware this is the fashion industry we’re talking about and it has more stringent standards on beauty. But I call bullshit on that. That’s not an excuse. That’s not an excuse to make a stunning girl feel any less than the queen she is.
What does this mean for girls (and boys) who are thicker than Ms. Hadid? (Which, quite frankly, is everyone.) If she is being told she isn’t good enough, how about the rest of us? Are we not beautiful? Screw that. We are, and Gigi is, too.
And it’s not just Gigi. Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato are just two of many A-listers who received outlandish criticism for their bodies. I’m tired of living in a world where these conventionally beautiful people are picked apart for perceived imperfections. Why? Because it makes us normal folk feel even worse about ourselves.
On what planet is that OK?
Gigi, I love and appreciate your rebuttal. I’m just sorry you had to write it in the first place.