Victoria’s Secret model Bridget Malcolm slams ‘skinny shamers’
AUSTRALIAN model Bridget Malcolm, who walked in the Victoria’s Secret fashion show last week, has slammed critics who ‘skinny shamed’ her online.
AUSTRALIAN model Bridget Malcolm, who walked in the Victoria’s Secret fashion show last week, has slammed online critics who “skinny shamed” her on social media.
On Wednesday morning Malcolm posted a photo of herself on Instagram wearing leggings and a crop top, assuring her 165,000 followers that she does not have an eating disorder.
“Can we STOP with the skinny shaming please? I am extremely fit and healthy and am not in the slightest way anorexic,” she wrote.
“I have worked hard to look like this and am proud of my body. I may not be the curviest but I am a woman who has every right to look the way I do.
“Maybe today take a look inside yourself and wonder why you feel the need to shame strangers over the internet about their bodies. Peace and love to you all - let’s change the conversation.”
Some of Malcolm’s followers leapt to her defence.
“It’s disgusting how people associate petite with anorexia - it’s so disrespectful to those who have to suffer with the disease too,” wrote one user.
Another said: “You do know that anorexia is a psychological illness and not a look? You can never tell if someone is anorexic by just looking at them and think: oh so skinny, must be ... As long as you are not a psychologist and did an extended analysis of her, stop insulting thin women.”
In an interview with Sunrise last week, Malcolm said appearing in the Victoria’s Secret show required a huge amount of physical and mental preparation.
“I had to start working on what I was eating three months before and then really stepping up the workouts.
“That meant twice a day work outs ... and a daily meditation routine just to make me feel relaxed and happy and good about it,” she said.
“They want a girl that’s really confident and comfortable ... you’re in your underwear in front of a room full of people and cameras and then you’ve got to walk.
“You have to really, literally own it when you get in there.”
Malcolm is the latest high profile model to hit back at body shamers on social media.
Gigi Hadid, who also walked in the Victoria’s Secret show, made headlines around the world in September when she took on her body image critics.
“So many people are so quick to comment negative opinions this month,” the 20-year-old told her 8.6 million Instagram followers.
“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 type as the other models in shows.
“No, I don’t think I’m the best at any given show. Yes, I want to have a unique walk but I also know I have to improve.”
She continued: “I represent a body a body image that wasn’t accepted in high-fashion before, and I’m very lucky to be supported by designers, stylists, and editors that I am: ones that know this is fashion, it’s art; it can never stay the same. It’s 2015.
“Yes, I have boobs, I have abs, I have a butt, I have thighs, but I’m not asking for special treatment. Your mean comments don’t make me want to change my body.”
Last month blogger and model Natasha Oakley, from A Bikini A Day, faced criticism over a paparazzi shot of her in a bikini with - shock horror - cellulite.
The 24-year-old told her 1.4 million followers she is “very happy, healthy and proud of my body”.
“I pose in swimwear everyday of my life so I know my angles but this photo is just to remind you all that at the end of the day I am human and will always rock what I’ve got just like everyone should,” she wrote.
“The female form is something to be admired and celebrated not criticised. I love you all and hope you can feel confident and sexy in your own skin no matter what anyone else says.”
Read more: