Celebs Criticized For Being Too Thin

For celebs in Hollywood, there's also such a thing as being too skinny. It's a place where designers refuse to dress actresses above a certain size and where Jennifer Lawrence was told to lose weight. Despite La La Land's obsession with thinness, many celebrities have come under fire for not weighing enough. While many experts argue that thin-shaming and fat-shaming aren't one in the same, we can all agree that any form of body-shaming is just plain wrong.

According to Jes Baker, body positivity activist and author of Landwhale, both thin- and fat-shaming are rooted in the same place. She told Self that "it's important to realize that even skinny shaming stems from damaging, dangerous, and oppressive fatphobia." No doubt celebrities who've been criticized for their size on both ends of the spectrum look forward to a day when weight-shaming is no longer a thing. Some famous names have even taken matters into their own hands. Here are some celebrities who've clapped back at body-shamers for dubbing them "too thin." 

After Dean Sheremet and LeAnn Rimes divorced, many became focused on the singer's weight. After taking to Twitter to share a photo of herself in a bikini in 2011, Rimes was hit by a barrage of comments. "Whoa, you're scary skinny! Sorry don't mean to offend but that's a lot of bones showing through skin," one person tweeted (via Salon). Rimes replied, writing that those "bones" were actually "abs." She continued (via Shape), "This is my body and I can promise you I'm a healthy girl. I'm just lean. Thx for your concern but no need to be."

Although fans may have genuinely been worried about the star's weight, Rimes surely didn't appreciate having her body labeled as "scary." Rimes' fitness trainer dispelled some of the concern when detailing the star's workout routine to Fox News Magazine (via StyleCaster). He also discussed her diet. "She eats a lot of lean meats — fish, chicken, maybe on occasion, lean turkey," he revealed. "A lot of vegetables — broccoli, carrots, and asparagus."

Sarah Jessica Parker's weight has long been a topic of discussion. In May 2010, one dietician told Hollywood Life that she worried the star wasn't consuming enough calories. Regardless of her body fat percentage, Parker recognizes that her size is not the norm. In fact, she doesn't want women looking to her weight as if it is. "Actresses have this weight standard for professional reasons, but I think the standard is impossible for women in America," she told Oprah during her Sex and the City days. "My job requires me to put on a little dress and run around the streets of New York in heels. But I also had the financial means to hire a yoga teacher to come to my house while my sitter watched the newborn. For 95 percent of the world, that's not realistic."

Parker also recognizes that there are likely genetics at play. While the actress admitted to People in 2008 that she eats seriously "everything," she said she thinks she has a "predisposition" to being slim. In addition, she said running after her kiddo and, sadly, anxiety are contributing factors.

After her mother passed away from ovarian cancer in 2007, Angelina Jolie lost weight. That weight loss neither went without notice nor criticism. The actress spoke up about her thinner figure, telling Grazia (via Digital Spy), "I have always been lean and this year I lost my mother and I've gone through a lot." The star's weight loss was not intentional, no, but born out of grief — something that Jolie was adamant about clarifying. "I want people to understand who I am as a person is not somebody that's trying to look thin, but just trying to work through a very difficult year," she told the publication. Dealing with both the loss of her mother and the judgement from the masses couldn't have been easy for the star.

Jolie further expressed that she found it "disturbing" that people wouldn't first consider if a person who'd lost weight was going through something traumatic, but merely focus on the person's weight and how they'll "fit into skinny jeans."

Although The Real Housewives of New York star and Skinnygirl products founder Bethenny Frankel has been harshly judged for being too thin, she took the time to respond to the criticism in a thoughtful way. "I think being thin is a very, very polarizing thing," Frankel said in an interview with the podcast FORTUNE Unfiltered with Aaron Task (via People). "I think people get mad at you for it, or it makes themselves feel better if they can say, 'Well, she doesn't eat and she works out every day' — neither of which are true."

Contrary to the apparent rumors, the star clarified to listeners, saying, "I do eat." Frankel said she stays away from fat-free foods and instead just sticks to smaller portions of the foods she loves. She's also adamantly against weight-loss programs. "The word 'diet' has the word 'die' in it, and it's a multi-billion dollar business because diets do not work," she opined. 

Modern Family star Sarah Hyland took to Twitter in May 2017 to respond to some of the body-shaming she'd been receiving. "I normally don't comment on things like this because it draws attention to those trying to spread negativity but I'm here to explain a few things and spread love." At the time, the actress wasn't ready to share all of what she'd been going through, but she did tell her fans that she'd "been on bed rest" over the course of several months and thus "lost a lot of muscle mass." 

In late 2018, Hyland was ready to share more information about her health struggles. The actress told Self she had received a second kidney transplant and underwent additional surgeries, including one for endometriosis and another for an abdominal hernia, within the six months before the interview. Naturally, Hyland's body changed, and, yes, she lost weight. It's terribly sad to know Hyland's body was being criticized at the very same time she was striving so hard to heal.

Although one person pitted Ariel Winter and Ariana Grande against each other, labeling them "curves" and "sticks," respectively, Winter has actually also been on the receiving end of thin-shaming. When the Modern Family star shared a series of photos of herself on Instagram in January 2019, comments about her size poured in. According to People, one person commented, "Omg you lost your butt." Another added, "Too skinny now." Other fans also took a more passive-aggressive route. "I'm sorry you felt the need to so dramatically change your appearance," the person wrote, before expressing hope that Winter was "happy" with her new look.

One fan said they were only commenting to help prevent other girls from "chopping up" their bodies, as the fan assumed Winter had. The actress replied, "I appreciate you wanting to help girls love themselves the way [they] are, but you are also kind of cutting someone (me) down which isn't what I think you were trying to do?" Winter clarified that she didn't get plastic surgery, and she reminded the fan that their behavior wasn't an appropriate way to support women.

Singer Céline Dion's response to others' criticism about her weight was, well, pretty epic. In a 2019 interview with The Sun's podcast, The Dan Wootton Interview, Dion said those who don't like her looks need not be bothered. "Don't take a picture," she suggested, presumably in response to haters remarking on her slim frame (via Yahoo! Lifestyle).

The star further revealed that she's just experimenting with different looks, as she wants to "feel attractive." She continued, saying, "I'm doing this for me. ... I want to feel strong, beautiful, feminine, fierce, and sexy." According to the celeb, it's not about being thin — or too thin, as some have claimed. "If you like, I'll be there. If you don't, leave me alone." Fair enough! Dion — who lost her husband, René Angélil, to cancer in 2016 — may just be trying to start a new chapter in her life and thus a new look. It doesn't matter to her whether people agree or disagree — and why should it!