Fashion models and the promotion of unhealthy body sizes have long been synonymous with one and other. The problematicimage of stick thin women, as encouraged by designers and casting agents, that have subsequently influenced perceptions of what ‘beauty’ looks like (i.e. gaunt and potentially harmfully skinny), have long been the centre of conversation and largely unresolved controversy whenever another Fashion Week comes along.
Thankfully, the narrative has shifted a bit over recent years – body positivity is still the buzzword du jourand, slowly, we’re starting to see a few women of different shapes and sizes on runways and magazine covers.
Nevertheless, the moment a woman in the spotlight experiences any weight loss or gain, people still are quick to pass judgement and throw their two cents into the Twittersphere in speculation.
Gigi Hadid was the latest model to find herself in the center of a ‘too big, too skinny’ shitstorm and took it upon herself to quiet the haters and set a few things straight.
‘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/Hashimotos disease’, she tweeted to her 8.51 million followers. Hashimoto’s disease is a autoimmune condition that leads to underactive thyroid glands. ‘those of u who called me “too big for the industry” were seeing inflammation & water retention due to that’ she added.
She went on to explain that in the last few years she’s been treated and was part of a holistic medical trial to help ease these symptoms as wells as things like extreme fatigue and problems with her metabolism.
‘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 every day, as everyone is.’, Gigi continued.
People are cynical, quick to judge and hasty to make comments about the women whose lives we watch unfold in the media. That scrutiny is only deepened when that woman happens to make a career from the way she looks. It’s tricky because there is an expectation now more than ever for these models to pay a role in the promotion of a healthy body image while at the same time uphold the ideals and standards that are quite poignantly out of the reach of us regular women who neither have the resources, nor the inclination to live our lives on camera.
But what is often forgotten is the fact that for one, so many models start out in the industry at an incredibly young age so, over the years, what with the old hormones and, well, life, their bodies are going to change. I’m not sure any of us would look at ourselves now and a photo of ourselves at Sixth Form, and expect to see the same thing. Let alone if you have the added influence of a contributory health condition. And unsurprisingly, Gigi is pretty sick of the judgement and speclation that her varying size is something more sinister than it is.
‘I will not further explain the way my body looks, just as anyone, with a body type that doesn’t suit ur “beauty” expectation, shouldn’t have to. Not to judge others, but drugs are not my thing, stop putting me in that box just because you don’t understand the way my body has matured’, Gigi tweeted before concluding with a bit of positive wisdom for anyone who feels compelled to call for explanations for how people look.
‘Please, as social media users & human beings in general, learn to have more empathy for others and know that you never really know the whole story. Use your energy to lift those that you admire rather than be cruel to those u don’t’.
Follow Jazmin on Instagram @JazKopotsha
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.