Gigi Hadid Explains What It Really Feels Like To Get Body-Shamed

Gigi Hadid may seem to have the picture-perfect life, with her famous boyfriend, Zayn, equally gorgeous sister, Bella, and reality star mom, Yolanda Hadid. But, the grass is not always greener on the other side. Last September, Hadid penned a heartfelt note on Instagram sharing her personal struggles with body-shamers on social media and the intense pressures of the modeling world. Her thoughtful message was reposted by other women in her industry, some of whom had been chastised for being too thin, others for being bigger than the model stereotype. Hadid recently revisited the topic during an interview with Vogue's podcast, during which she talked about the negative and positive powers of social media. "Everyone is affected by the pressures that come from being on social media. We’re all human," Hadid said of receiving disparaging comments online. "I’ll never say that it doesn’t affect me. Sometimes it’s harder than others." The 21-year-old explained the reasoning behind her original post. "That was the journal entry that I thought would help people and let people know that they can speak up and defend themselves." She continued, "I write to get things off my chest. I knew people would get it, even if it was just a couple people. I just hope it helped someone." Apparently, it did. Hadid recounted when a Dutch teen model approached her after a show, and thanked her for giving her the confidence to fight back against her own body-shamers. With over 20 million Instagram followers, it's great to see Hadid spreading such a positive message.