Danish supermodel Nina Agdal slams body shamers

Nina Agdal is no stranger to social media, with 1.7 million followers and an average of 30k likes per post, her influencer status is nothing new.

However, Agdal recently made waves by posting a photo in nothing but jeans, firing back at body shaming within the modelling industry.

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

The post, which includes an extensive and brutally honest caption detailing a recent experience in which she was turned away from a job for not fitting into the samples, which Nina debunked in the post, calling the allegations “completely untrue.” And the model’s message must have resonated with fans, earning her a total of 138k likes and over three thousand comments.

Nina talked to W about what inspired her to share this message, telling the magazine; “I’ve been holding this in for a while. This is what a lot of girls go through, whether you are a zero or a six or a twelve. We all have insecurities that can just take over your life. It gave me incredible anxiety. It was not a good year for me, but I finally got myself back and I went into this shoot. Then after going through all of this, and finally being back to happy Nina, the response comes back and it is, “You are not good enough.”

At that point, this was not my first rodeo. I started modeling almost ten years ago. I was just like, “I have to say something.” There are so many girls that see this and it is such a perception game that I’m not going to support anymore. There are so many ways to make yourself look better or like your life is perfect. My life is not perfect, I’m going through it too. Instagram is such an easy tool to create this perception that their life is perfect, and I was just not going to do it anymore.” 

The post comes at a time where more and more people are becoming fed up with the unrealistic standards that models are held to and changes are beginning to be made.

More and more people and publications are calling out the fashion industry for using plus size models who don’t look plus size at all, and for exclusively casting women who are unhealthily slim.

Is this another thing to call #TimesUp on?! We think so.