Gigi Hadid is setting the haters straight.
The supermodel slammed body shamers for calling out her thin frame
on social media during New York Fashion Week, and explained that her
fluctuating figure is due to a longtime battle with Hashimoto’s disease.
Gigi first revealed her condition in 2016, telling Elle that her
“metabolism changed like crazy” that year. In a series of tweets on
Sunday, Gigi explained that determining proper treatment for the thyroid
illness has altered her appearance since she started modeling in her teens and
had not yet been diagnosed.
“Those of u who called me ‘too big for the industry’ were seeing inflammation & water retention due to that,” she wrote.
The 22-year-old said her diet is the same as it always was, but now with appropriate care her body is able to process food in a healthier way.
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.
— Gigi Hadid (@GiGiHadid) February 11, 2018
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“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.,” Gigi wrote. “I was also part of a holistic medical trial that helped my thyroid levels balance out.”
Gigi went on to admit that lifestyle factors including stress and travel do play a role in her physique, and that she is slimmer than she’d like to be at this point. Ultimately, however, she feels her best – and that’s what matters most.
“[I] am still learning and growing with my body everyday, as everyone is,” she wrote, before shutting down accusations of drug use.
“Stop putting me in that box just because u dont understand the way my body has matured,” she added, also making it clear that she’s through issuing clarifications on her own behalf.
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.
— Gigi Hadid (@GiGiHadid) February 11, 2018
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“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,” she wrote.
Followers flooded Gigi’s posts with supportive replies, encouraging her to continue inspiring others to have an open mind and heart. The runway queen concluded her message with a universal plea for compassion instead of a chronic focus on negativity.
“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,” she wrote.
— Erin Biglow
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