So you don’t love the way you look in some recent photos. Relax, Gigi Hadid says — you’ll look back on them some day and wonder why you felt so bad about yourself.
The 22-year-old model, designer, and photographer opened about body image in an interview with actress Blake Lively for the May issue of Harper’s BAZAAR. During their conversation, Hadid offered some sound advice to help anyone feel more confident — whether you’re a famous model or an average joe.
When Lively brought up the topic of trolls on social media, Hadid lamented how quick people are to shame her for her slim build:
"Yeah, and most of it is just nonsense. But it can still hurt. Nowadays, people are quick to say, 'I used to love Gigi’s body, and now she just gave in.' But I’m not skinny because I gave in to the industry. When I had a more athletic figure, I was proud of my body because I was an amazing volleyball player and horseback rider. But after discovering that I have Hashimoto’s [an autoimmune disease], I needed to eat healthy and work out. It was weird as a teenager, dealing with this when all of my friends could eat McDonald’s and it wouldn’t affect them."
Lively pointed out that Hadid has been the victim of body-shaming on “both sides”: “You were body-shamed for being ‘too big’ when you first started modelling. And now you’re body-shamed for being ‘too skinny,'” she said.
While Hadid admitted she misses her old look, she also made an excellent point about loving yourself no matter what you look like — and no matter what other people say about your body:
"If I could choose, I would have my ass back and I would have the tits I had a few years ago. But, honestly, we can’t look back with regret. I loved my body then, and I love my body now. Whoever is reading this, I want you to realize that three years from now you will look back at a picture from this time period and be like: 'Wow, I was so hot. Why did I feel so bad about myself because of some stupid thing someone said?'"
By now, body-shamers should know not to mess with Hadid. Back in 2015, she posted a long message on Instagram slamming the trolls who criticised the way her body looked on the runway.
“No, I don’t have the same body type as the other models in shows,” 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 sample sizes,” she continued. “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.”
This article originally appeared on Men’s Health US
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