Melissa Joan Hart Reacts to Old Paparazzi Beach Photo Used to Body-Shame Her
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Melissa Joan Hart shared an Instagram post featuring an old paparazzi photo that was used to body-shame her.
In the caption, she expressed anger toward the paparazzi for using the photo to make her appear “heavier than [she] actually was.”
“Let’s continue to give each other AND OURSELVES grace,” she tells followers, “to be who we are and want/need to be!”
Melissa Joan Hart, 46, took to Instagram over the weekend to share a 2008 paparazzi photo of her on the beach in Malibu that was then used to shame her for her weight. The “horrifying” photo, taken just three weeks after Hart gave birth to her second child, Brayden, was featured on the cover of People as the “before” image of Hart’s weight loss transformation.
Hart shared a photo of her alongside her children and husband, Mark Wilkerson, from the same day, along with the People cover and a close-up of the photo in question with her Instagram followers.
She captioned the post with her own commentary on the use of unflattering photos to body-shame people in the media and a message of body positivity for her followers.
“I just found this photo that the paparazzi took of me on the beach in Malibu when I was three weeks out from having baby Brady. If you slide the photo over you’ll see the photo they use on the cover of people magazine to make people think I was heavier than I actually was,” she writes. “Seeing this photo again makes me mad because even with the extra baby weight I don’t hate the way I look here.”
The post resonated with many fans of the Sabrina the Teenage Witch star, who commented with their support. “I remember when this magazine came out and I was so annoyed,” writes one commenter, “the fact that they had the audacity to use the word ‘horrifying’ to describe a photo of an actual human being. Three weeks after having a baby, out in full swing, and looking absolutely beautiful as always; should be praised, not used in a negative manner.” “I could never handle the pressure and ignorance from being recognized like that,” another adds. “You are stunning no matter what.”
Hart left her followers with a hopeful message of kindness and body positivity. “I feel like the pendulum is swinging right now to allow people to gain and lose weight without a lot of hate being spewed,” she writes.
Women in particular have a long history of being publicly shamed for their weight, and we absolutely love Hart’s use of her platform to bring attention to the issue and spread compassion toward others who receive hate for their appearance. In the words of Hart, “let’s continue to give each other AND OURSELVES grace to be who we are and want/need to be! #YouDoYou #LovemyCurves”
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