Justice

Gigi Hadid Confronts Her Body Shamers In A Powerful Way

September 28th 2015

Model Gigi Hadid was widely celebrated on social media Monday after she uploaded a heartfelt Instagram post about her experiences with body shaming.

In the post, Hadid admits that body shaming can wear on a person after a while, even successful models like herself:

Here's what she said:

"Yes, the judgment on social media comes from people who, 99% of the time, have no idea what they're talking about, but I'm human, and I'm not going to lie, I did let the negativity get to me a little. No, I don’t have the same body types as the other models in shows ... You can make up all the reasons you think I am where I am, but really I’m a hard worker that’s confident in myself, one that came at a time where the fashion industry was ready for a change."

Hadid added that her body type hasn't always been embraced in the fashion world. 

"I represent a body type that wasn’t accepted in high-fashion before," she wrote. "Yes, I have boobs, I have abs, I have a butt, I have thighs, but I’m not asking for special treatment. I’m fitting into the same sample sizes. Your mean comments don’t make me want to change my body, they don’t make me want to say no to the designers that ask me to be in their shows, and they definitely don’t change the designers opinions of me."

Many took to social media to show love for Hadid, including reality star Kris Jenner and model Tyra Banks, who reposted Hadid's original Instagram photo onto her own account:

This comes at a time when many public figures have used their celebrity to promote body positive messages in media. Plus-size model Tess Holliday frequently speaks out against her own body shamers on Instagram:

"My relationship with my body is a journey, not a destination," she wrote on the social media platform earlier this month. "I appreciate & honor what's it's done for me, & the life it brought into the world. I couldn't give a ? if you find me attractive or if my body offends you.

As Hadid notes in her Instagram post, the fashion industry at large has become increasingly accepting of different body types. ATTN: has written before about American Eagle's lingerie line Aerie, which has a body positive #AerieREAL campaign that features non-Photoshopped images of models.

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