Model Nina Agdal's Powerful Post On Magazine That Body-Shamed Her Is Everything

One would think that a fit, strong, athletic Sports Illustrated model would be the very definition of an adult woman body worth celebrating and aspiring for, but shockingly, as the world recently found out, yet again, you would be sadly mistaken. A strong body still means nothing to far too many in the fashion world, unless it comes neatly contained in a tiny one - one that fits into ridiculously small sample size clothing sent out by designers.

A few days ago, Danish model Nina Agdal lashed out on Instagram against a magazine - she didn't reveal which one - which allegedly cancelled a photo spread featuring her. The reason? She was too big to be in the magazine and her photos allegedly "did not reflect well on her talent."

Nina's post included a picture of herself in a pair of Oscar De La Renta jeans, showing off her lean body and abs. The stunning photo was part of a spread rejected by the magazine that had promised her a cover. Nina also wrote that the publishers had sent her agent an unapologetic email informing them of their decision to not publish because "my look deviated from my portfolio" and that she "did not fit into the (sample size) samples, which is completely false. If anyone has any interest in me, they know I am not an average model body - I have an athletic build and healthy curves."

She then went on to write about her evolution from the time she started modelling at the age of 16 to today, a 25-year-old woman who loves her athletic build and healthy curves.

"After a tough year of taking a step back from the insensitive and unrealistic pressures of this industry and dealing with paralyzing social anxiety, I walked into that shoot as a 25 year old WOMAN feeling more comfortable in my own skin and healthier than ever before. Some days I'm a sample size, some days I'm a size 4, some a 6. I am not built as a runway model and have never been stick thin. Now more than ever, I embrace my curves and work diligently in the gym to stay strong and most of all, sane,' Nina wrote.

See Nina Agdal's post:

 

Today, I’m disappointed and appalled at the still very harsh reality of this industry. A few months ago, I agreed to shoot with a creative team I believed in and was excited to collaborate with. When my agent received an unapologetic email concluding they would not run my cover/story because it “did not reflect well on my talent” and “did not fit their market,” the publisher claimed my look deviated from my portfolio and that I did not fit into the (sample size) samples, which is completely false. If anyone has any interest in me, they know I am not an average model body - I have an athletic build and healthy curves. After a tough year of taking a step back from the insensitive and unrealistic pressures of this industry and dealing with paralyzing social anxiety, I walked into that shoot as a 25 year old WOMAN feeling more comfortable in my own skin and healthier than ever before. Some days I’m a sample size, some days I’m a size 4, some a 6. I am not built as a runway model and have never been stick thin. Now more than ever, I embrace my curves and work diligently in the gym to stay strong and most of all, sane. I am proud to say that my body has evolved from when I started this crazy ride as a 16 year old GIRL with unhealthy and insufficient eating habits. So, shame on you and thank you to the publisher for reaffirming how important it is to live your truth and say it out loud, no matter who you are or what size. I decided to release an image to draw awareness and support of an issue that's bigger than just myself and affects so many people not just in the fashion industry, but in general, with the goal of bringing women from all over together in a celebration of our bodies. Let's find ways to build each other up instead of constantly finding ways to tear each other down. #bodyshaming #bodyimage #selfimage #dietculture #mybodymybusiness

A post shared by Nina Agdal (@ninaagdal) on Jan 12, 2018 at 9:30am PST

Far too many of us spend large portions, if not the entirety, of our adult lives, feeling fat, unappealing and conscious of our bodies, thanks to ridiculous standards of beauty perpetuated by the fashion industry at large. Most of us afflicted with this perennial bug of finding our bodies wanting have learned to make our peace with it - we know we're never going to be good enough, but we also know we're never going to stop wanting to reach that unrealistic ideal.

But when even models stop fitting into already narrow definitions of beauty, it is cause for worry about the slippery slope that the fashion industry is forever perched on the precipice of. And it's time for rebellion and speaking up against it.

Thankfully, Nina Agdal did just that.

It was almost a case of poetic justice when Nina ended her impassioned post about the magazine that had tried to body-shame her by using their own photograph to shame them for being so duplicitous and narrow-minded in their approach to what constituted a beautiful body.

"Shame on you and thank you to the publisher for reaffirming how important it is to live your truth and say it out loud, no matter who you are or what size," Nina wrote on Instagram.

Nina's post had received almost 1.5 lakh likes and hundreds of supportive comments at the time of writing this article.

Over the last few years, there have been a slew of models and actors, both in Hollywood and at home, who have spoken up and against the insane pressure to look a certain way, be a certain size and the constant scrutiny of their bodies more than their talent.

Vidya Balan, Sonam Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Huma Qureshi, Richa Chaddha, Lisa Ray, Parineeti Chopra, Sarah Jane Dias and several others have spoken about body-shaming and the road to self-love and acceptance of their bodies, in the past.

In 2015, supermodel Gigi Hadid shared a strongly-worded Instagram post hitting back at body-shamers, like Nina.

 

A post shared by Gigi Hadid (@gigihadid) on Sep 28, 2015 at 4:25am PDT

In the same vein, Tyra Banks, Hillary Duff, Selena Gomez, Emma Stone, Lady Gaga, Ashley Graham, Demi Lovato, Chrissy Teigen and so many others have posted untouched photos of themselves on social media - showing off their curves and even stretch marks - in response to body-shaming paparazzi photographs.

In a world where we're always being encouraged and overtly or covertly pressured to chase unattainable beauty and body goals, gorgeous women talking about their own struggles with self-acceptance and teetering on the brink of caving in to pressure, sure gives us hope.

Keep talking, ladies.