The Stunning Transformation Of Remi Bader
The following article mentions eating disorders and mental health issues.
It's no secret that TikTok has launched a lot of internet personalities over the past few years, but Remi Bader has definitely managed to stand out from the rest. While Bader found fame through filming clothing hauls, she differentiated herself from other influencers with similar content by taking a more realistic approach. She did so by depicting how some of the clothes she would get wouldn't fit her plus-size body, even if they were supposedly in her size. However, instead of getting upset, Bader found humor in it and shared her honest reactions with her followers. She recalled to E!, "People were really just like, 'Thank you for bringing this up. This happens to me too, but I never usually laugh at it.'"
However, Bader never planned on being an online sensation since she originally made those videos for her friends — yet she has used her platform to encourage companies to be more size-inclusive. Bader has also been open about her struggles with her weight and mental health issues, which many have found relatable. She explained to Stylecaster, "I will never be that influencer that just makes themselves look perfect, and I also will not preach that I'm happy about things like my body when maybe I'm not."
Bader has already come a long way with how she uses her social media fame and is making real change in the fashion industry today. So how did she get here? Let's break down the stunning transformation of Remi Bader.
As a child, Remi Bader struggled with anxiety and her weight
Remi Bader didn't have the happiest childhood, since she grappled with her mental health. "At a very young age, I struggled with a nervous tic disorder," Bader told The Child Mind Institute. "On top of that, I have generalized anxiety disorder ... I also struggle with binge eating disorder." Bader didn't share her anxiety struggles with her parents until she was 19 years old after a bad panic attack made her realize that she needed to get help. Bader then started seeing a therapist and taking medication for her tics, which she says have gotten easier to manage over the years.
Bader didn't open up about her binge eating disorder until she was an adult, but revealed to The Cut that growing up she had felt pressure to lose weight. "My dad would offer me money to lose weight ... Sometimes he'd say things like, 'You're never going to get a boyfriend if you don't eat slower.'" Bader would even go on diets with her mother as a type of bonding experience.
It seems that Bader's issues with her body made her hate buying clothes as a teen too, despite her passion for fashion in her native New York City. "My mom would beg me to go shopping with her and I would throw a tantrum about it every time," She explained to In The Know. "I'd cry at the end of every visit to the store."
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
After graduating college, Remi Bader worked in PR then marketing
While many TikTok sensations found fame in their teens, Remi Bader didn't become an internet personality until she was an adult, so she had other jobs before becoming an influencer. It seems Bader originally pursued fashion as a career path, since she took classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology and interned in the fashion industry. However, she eventually realized that wasn't the right fit for her. "Everyone sitting in the audience was skinny and put together beautifully in head-to-toe designer, and I felt like an outsider," Bader told In The Know.
Bader decided to then shift her focus to public relations, and got her first job at the Bravo network once she graduated from the University of Delaware in 2017. She later left there for a partnership marketing gig at the music streaming service, Tidal, but was fired during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. During all that time though, Bader said she kept returning to the fashion industry as an option. Yet, it was her father who suggested she do some curve modeling when she was unemployed.
Fortunately for Bader, her modeling career took off and soon after, social media success followed. She also had that experience in marketing and PR, which she presumedly still uses as an influencer. When it came to her career path, Bader told E!, "I feel like each job was something completely different, and now I'm in a position that I never thought I would be in."
Remi Bader went viral for her realistic clothing hauls in 2020
In the summer of 2020, Remi Bader began filming the clothing hauls that made her famous on TikTok when she had downtime from her modeling jobs. She started by posting her version of celebrity outfits, then one day got a package from a clothing brand where all the clothes in her size were way too small. "I was taking pictures of myself and Snapchatting to my friends about how insane I looked, laughing about it," she told E!, adding, "I ended up making a video on TikTok and it pretty much went viral and I was shocked."
Bader seemingly realized that many people could relate to how she felt, so she continued to post herself trying on outfits, where she emphasized that it was the clothing brands' fault if something didn't fit, instead of the other way around. She kept the videos authentic by never trying on clothes before she filmed so she'd only give her actual reactions.
Bader also made it a point to avoid the social media trend of only showing what looks good, and she later even opened up about her mental health issues, despite her initial worries that it didn't fit her "brand." Bader explained on "Today," "There are so many people out there that have been looking on social media for years, and have not been able to find anyone that looks like them ... or is honest and can relate to them."
By 2021, the TikToker was working with major clothing brands
Remi Bader had really made a name for herself as a fashion influencer by 2021, considering that's when she started working with major brands. It appears that began with apparel companies like Abercrombie, Good American, and Lululemon sending her clothes to try on in TikToks, where she'd link back to the items. In April 2021 though, she landed her first major campaign with Aerie, as one of the stars of their #AerieReal initiative. The then 25-year-old fashionista told People that the partnership made a lot of sense for her since it focused on posting real and unfiltered content.
Bader went on to expand her business outside of social media, since less than a year later she became an ambassador and size consultant for Victoria's Secret, where she advised them on how they could improve their brand. Months later, Bader was approached by Revolve to collaborate on a clothing collection after she previously called them out on TikTok for not being size-inclusive. At the time, she told Glamour, "This is obviously a much bigger partnership ... because I have more of a say and they listen to my feedback and my followers' feedback."
It seems that with every collaboration, Bader was able to push the fashion industry to be more body-diverse. When celebrating how far they've come at New York Fashion Week in 2023, Bader told People, "I want to be helping this world and trying to make a difference."
Remi Bader sought treatment for an eating disorder in May 2022
In May 2022, Remi Bader decided to seek outpatient treatment for her binge eating disorder, after she seemingly realized that she wasn't getting any better on her own. She, of course, remained honest with her followers by discussing her process on TikTok. "The past few months I almost started feeling ... that things are getting worse for me," she shared, adding, "How I feel about myself, my body, my confidence, and obviously, a lot of that has to do with my binge eating."
Bader had previously revealed that her struggles with binge eating had started long before she got famous, especially since it's how she used to cope with stressful days working in the music industry. "Afterward I would cry and be so upset about it, and it just turned into this really scary phase that no one — my family or close friends — could understand," she explained to The Local Optimist (via DailyMail).
For six weeks, Bader did therapy at the treatment center, as well as sessions on body image and nutrition. She also ate a meal there so she could discuss her approach to food with her group. While Bader admitted that she wasn't ready to leave the program after six weeks, she had a work trip to Europe that she couldn't miss. In the end, she said she felt that treatment didn't immediately solve her problem as she had hoped, and she knew that she had more work to do.
If you need help with an eating disorder or know someone who does, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).
The fashion influencer was publicly fat-shamed in June 2022
It seems that Remi Bader had to deal with another setback in the summer of 2022, since she made headlines that June for being fat-shamed at an influencer event. Bader took to TikTok to share that she had been turned away from the Deep Hollow Ranch in the Hamptons for weighing too much to ride a horse. She wrote in the caption, "I've rode horses before and have never had this issue. Please advertise this on your signs for the future." She then clarified in the comment section that she was upset and embarrassed over being asked to leave alone.
An unidentified person who was at the ranch later told Page Six that the ranch handler had spoken very rudely to Bader about her weight in front of everyone at the event, even hinting that she purposely humiliated her. What made things even worse though, was that a teenage employee, who reportedly is the owner's son, then made his own (now-deleted) TikTok where he called Bader a "fat b**ch."
Deep Hollow Ranch went on to issue an apology for the video before Bader released another statement to People thanking her fans for their support and explaining that she never wanted to hurt a small business or a horse. "It was the way I was spoken to and laughed at by the owner and the way I was treated overall," she said, adding, "They did not want me there because of my weight."
Remi Bader hard launched her boyfriend on Instagram in October 2022
You could say that some good things also happened for Remi Bader in June 2022 because that's also when she started dating her boyfriend. She didn't reveal that she was taken until late October when she "hard launched" him on her Instagram with a kissing video, but she still did not share his name. "I was waiting until I felt that it was a real and secure relationship," she explained to E!
Bader had originally debated keeping her boyfriend private because she struggles with other peoples' constant opinions on her life. However, the next January, she shared more details about her man on the "Not Skinny But Not Fat" podcast. For one, she said that they met through the app Lox Club, and she initially didn't think he wanted something serious. "The first date was not amazing and I was like ... I'm probably never gonna hang out with this kid again," she said.
Unfortunately, Bader also pointed out that many online trolls accused her boyfriend of using her for fame. While she's tried to look past that since she knows they're in love, it's something that still bothered her in September 2023. That's when she said on the "High Low with EmRata" podcast, "What really hurts me is seeing the things when I post with my boyfriend, and I love posting videos with him ... And then people are just like 'clearly he's being paid to be with her.'"
Remi Bader spoke out about Ozempic in January 2023
Chances are that you're probably aware of the Ozempic craze, which is the frenzy around a diabetes medication that many people in the spotlight have been using to lose weight. Remi Bader was also once prescribed the drug, but made it known that it was because she was pre-diabetic and insulin resistant, and not because she wanted a quick fix for her weight. In fact, Bader said on the "Not Skinny But Not Fat" podcast that she wasn't sure she wanted to try Ozempic, since she worried what would happen when she eventually stopped taking it.
Regrettably, Bader was right to be concerned. She explained, "I didn't wanna be obsessed with being on it long term. I was like, I bet the second I got off I'm gonna get starving again. I did, and my binging got so much worse." Stopping Ozempic had not only intensified Bader's binge eating disorder, but resulted in her gaining double the weight back that she had lost while on the medication.
A weight management expert at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dr. Caroline Apovian, told People that Ozempic should only be given to those who need it because there's been a shortage. "We're not talking about stars who need to lose 10 pounds. We're talking about people who are dying of obesity," she said. "[They're] taking away from patients with diabetes."
Remi Bader struggled with health issues in the summer of 2023
At this point, it's clear that Remi Bader has been very open with what's going on in her life over the years. The summer of 2023 wasn't any different, with the Victoria's Secret ambassador revealing on TikTok that she was having some health issues after gaining weight. Bader shared in July that she was once again in treatment for her binge eating disorder and, as a result, was more loose with her diet. Bader wasn't worried about her appearance though, since she was more concerned about how her weight was impacting her everyday physical activities, like walking up stairs. "I just want to find ways that I can feel better and feel strong," she said.
Bader was still struggling with binge eating that following September because she made another TikTok about how she had a setback during New York Fashion Week. She admitted, "I wanna self-sabotage. It's just the weirdest mindset." The video shed light on the fact that everyone has problems no matter how glamorous one's life may look.
While Bader has tried to be an inspiration for her followers and someone who they can relate to, she told Wondermind in October 2023 that just because she's been in treatment doesn't mean she has all the answers. "I want to heal my eating disorder, but for my health ... I want to lose some weight ... I'm still trying to navigate that," she said.
If you need help with an eating disorder or know someone who does, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).
Remi Bader called out her haters in the fall of 2023
TikTok may have made Remi Bader famous but by the fall of 2023, the 28-year-old had enough of the trolls who made fun of her for what she shares online. In a video she posted to TikTok on September 17, Bader revealed that she was being flooded with nasty comments where people were fat-shaming her. Because of that, she said she no longer will share her health journey because the negative responses had become too much for her. "It's just fun for them to keep making fun of me and do it publicly," she said. Then in tears, she added, "It's really hard to see this every day."
Following that post, many of Bader's fans lent their support for her in the comments, as did Khloe Kardashian, who praised Bader in her Instagram Story. While Bader went on to gear her TikTok content back toward fashion, her travels, and her sister's wedding, she revealed in November 2023 that she was still dealing with haters when she shared a TikTok about a comment she received for dressing "unflattering."
That same month though, Bader launched another collection with Revolve and continued her collaborations with other brands. She looked to still be super smitten with her boyfriend too. With that said, it's obvious that Bader has continued to grow and thrive both personally and professionally over the years. Her stunning transformation is really only just beginning.