When someone is in the public eye as often as model Gigi Hadid, it’s inevitable that at some point social media trolls will have something to say about her appearance.
Fresh off a weekend of gracing New York Fashion Week runways, the 22-year-old took a stand against body shamers accusing her of being too skinny and generating theories about why she appears to have lost weight since she started modeling at 17. She explained that she has Hashimoto’s disease, a condition in which the immune system attacks the thyroid, causing inflammation and hypothyroidism.
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.
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.
At the time she began modeling, she hadn’t yet been diagnosed. Since then, she’s been properly medicated for the condition and feels healthier than ever.
She continued the string of tweets with a reminder that everyone is affected by things like stress and excessive travel, and that she hasn’t changed her eating habits. Like everyone else, she learns and grows with her body and does everything she can to stay healthy.
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 (cont)
Hadid also denied drug rumors and slammed body shamers who feel the need to make rude comments just because someone doesn’t fit into their specific ideals of beauty. She urged everyone “as social media users and human beings in general” to be more empathetic, remember that they don’t know anyone else’s full story, and use their energy to lift others up rather than knock them down.
I will not further explain the way my body looks, just as anyone, with a body type that doesnt suit ur “beauty” expectation, shouldnt have to. Not to judge others, but drugs are not my thing, stop putting me in that box just because u dont understand the way my body has matured.
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.
It’s great to hear that Hadid is in good health and living her best life, but she also shouldn’t have to explain her appearance to anyone—and she seems to have resolved to quit explaining herself. Her inspiring post just goes to show that everyone faces negativity, and the best approach is to strive to be healthier, not fit into anyone’s expectations of beauty.
