She was called ‘too skinny’ after she posted a ‘silly’ photo of herself preparing to jet off onto her next adventure.
But Rumer Willis was not letting the criticism slide as she hit back at the body shamers in a lengthy message posted to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday.
In the message, Rumer, 32, admitted she was ‘really bummed’ to see the comments appear on photos she had enjoyed taking as she slammed commenters for critiquing her appearance.
‘I was left really bummed’: Rumer Willis was not letting the criticism slide as she hit back at the body shamers in a lengthy message posted to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday
‘I know I don’t need to do this but in a effort to spread some awareness and shed some light on body shaming tactics I felt the need to share. After the barrage of inappropriate comments left on my pic I posted yesterday I was left really bummed cause I was really enjoying the silly pics I took.
‘It was a weird angle that even made me feel like I looked smaller than I do. But regardless even though you may think it’s your job or even your right to leave your unfiltered thoughts and judgements about my body for me and others to read… it’s not. But for reference this is another angle and you can see what I actually look like.
‘Also just to give clarity if I was really struggling with any kind of food issues (which I’m gratefully not) coming for me in my comments and telling me how I’m too skinny or I need to eat is absolutely not helpful and extremely body shaming.
‘If you were actually concerned for my health snd(sic) welfare or anyone you think may be actually struggling send them a DM and have a private conversation and really ask how they are doing and if they would like support instead of posting inflammatory public comments. Body shaming of any kind if something I will not stand for.’
‘Body shaming of any kind is something I will not stand for’: Willis did not remain silent amid the trolling
The silly photo Rumer was being trolled over captured the actress wearing yellow and orange as she prepared to take a flight.
In the image, Rumer bent slightly towards the camera, accentuating her waist.
She grinned from ear to ear while pulling at her braided pigtails.
‘Leaving on a (plane emoji). And honestly I really don’t know if I’ll be back again…. (hand waving emoji),’ the photos were captioned.
Peace out! The slideshow Willis posted also included a snap of Rumer flashing the peace sign
Rumer remained defiant against the body shamers in a subsequent video she posted to her Stories, capturing her eating a slice of kiwi.
‘Bye trolls,’ she wrote in the clip.
Rumer has not shied away from discussing her issues with her body image. Her sister Tallulah has also struggled with body dysmorphic disorder.
In a 2015 Glamour article, Rumer recounted struggling with her appearance and how competing on Dancing With The Stars improved her confidence levels.
‘When you grow up in the public eye the way that I did, everyone’s looking at you and waiting for you to do something crazy or say something wrong or have a meltdown. I was constantly bullied because of my looks, so I struggled a lot with my body image. I wanted to have no butt; I wanted to have no boobs. For a long time I just wanted to look tiny and androgynous.’
Later haters! Willis remained defiant against the trolls
Her self-image started improving once she started competing in DWTS, which she ultimately won.
The star said appearing on the show helped her ‘get over my fear of failure.’
‘The first day I danced on-air, I was nervous; I had been struggling, and the dress rehearsal hadn’t gone well. But after I finished I felt more beautiful than I had in my entire life. Not because of how I looked—it’s not about having on a fancy dress or having your hair and makeup done—but because of what I’d accomplished and worked so hard for. When you conquer something you didn’t think you could do, energy and confidence radiate out of you, and that’s more beautiful than if you were skinny or had the perfect face.’
Making moves! The actress and singer won season 20 of Dancing With The Stars in May 2015 with pro partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy, 35
And while overall she feels better about herself, Rumer admitted she still had her ‘low moments’ and was still blocking people every day on social media.
‘But when it happens now, I remind myself that focusing on people’s negative opinions will only make me feel like crap. If I start to get discouraged, I take a step back and go, All right, I don’t feel great today, but what can I do to shift how I’m thinking? It’s difficult, but the moment you stop saying, “I’m really fat,” or “I’m ugly,” and just say, “Wow, I have this,” then you’ll see a change.’
The actress and singer won season 20 of Dancing With The Stars in May 2015 with pro partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy, 35.
Rumer played retired English actress Joanna Pettet in the 2019 comedy-drama Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.
She also had a guest-starring role on Fox’s 9-1-1 in May 2020 as a musician named Georgia who gets injured in a derailed train wreck.
Speaking up: Rumer has not shied away from discussing her issues with her body image