Model and actress Emily Ratajkowski is speaking out after her friend was body-shamed online.
It all started when Ratajkowski, 27, posted an Instagram photo of her with a friend sunbathing on the beach, with the caption “beach buns.”
The photo was meant to be a playful promotion of the model’s swimwear and lingerie line, Inamorata.
But some online trolls decided to focus on the women’s bodies instead. Some people said cruel things about her friend’s curvier build, while others accused Ratajkowski of “humiliating” her friend by posting a photo of them side by side.
“She is crazy insecure and needs to take photos with plus sized women next to her,” one woman wrote in the comments.
Ratajkowski quickly came to her friend’s defense.
“I love my friend’s body and both her and I think she looks great here! And I’m proud she’s rocking my suits,” she wrote in the comments. “All these haters are crazy. Just because you’re used to seeing one body type on the internet doesn’t mean that that’s the only kind that should be considered ‘beautiful.’”
She also re-posted the photo on Twitter with the message, “Thank u, next.”
Later on Twitter, the model also posted a note from her friend, who said she had been overwhelmed by all the attention the photo had been getting.
“Never did I think that going to the beach with my friend would result in thousands of comments being made about my weight,” her friend wrote. “I’m here to say that I love myself, I love my friend, I love my size 8/10 butt and thighs.”
Ratajkowski may have posted the side-by-side photo to show that her swimwear line is perfect for all shapes and sizes.
After all, her swimwear collection claims to have a body-positive ethos.
“Rejecting the tired old myths about body image, INAMORATA WOMAN embraces the full spectrum of the female form,” the brand’s website states. (Sizes on the website go up to an XL.)
Ratajkowski has also spoken out about the importance of making her line inclusive for all body types.
“A lot of people are like, ‘Oh, you want to wear these sexy bathing suits? Easy for you.’ But from my standpoint, from how we grew up, all different body types were beautiful. No one was questioning how naked they were,” she said in an interview on Inamorata’s website. “It was just all natural, fun.”
While some people posted hateful comments on the photo, many others came to the women’s defense.
“The post is to show different sizes wearing her swim line and looking beautiful. I don’t think there is anything else to it. This is very body positive,” one person wrote.
“She has the right to take a pic with her friend and they are both beautiful, they just have different body types,” another said.
And Ratajkowski herself had the perfect response on Twitter to all the haters.
"Different bodies are beautiful and I hope y'all learn that soon," she said.