Kate Lawler has a message for those who have body-shamed her due to her weight.
The TV personality has been thrust into the center of many accusations that she suffers from eating disorders, such as anorexia, or that she is severely deficient in calories.
But on the November 6th podcast episode of It Can’t Just Be Me, with Anna Richardson, the Big Brother alumna hit back at anyone who would tell her what is and isn’t healthy for her body.
Highlights
- Kate Lawler defends her body, insists she's healthy and eats enough.
- Lawler confronts body shamers, calls out double standards on body image.
- Expert warns that weight shaming can harm psychological and physical health.
Kate Lawler responds to anyone judging her appearance and insisting she has an eating disorder
Image credits: annarichardso
After Kate posted a series of holiday bikini pictures last year, people pointed fingers at the 44-year-old and judged her slender frame.
“You’ve triggered anorexics and should apologise,” one of the comments read.
Others appeared to agree, saying, “She looks really skeletal.”
On Wednesday, Kate responded, saying, “People are like, ‘You can’t be eating,’ but I am happy with the size I am. I do eat.”
Last year, Kate had a similar response to online trolls
Image credits: thekatelawler
In an interview with The Sun back in September 2023, Kate responded to the insensitivity of some of the comments she’d received.
“I’m slim, not skinny, and I’m healthy. My BMI is within the ideal range,” she said. “I’ve varied between 8st 4lb and 8st 8lb since the nineties. I went down to 8st in my twenties when I wasn’t looking after my body, but the only time I was bigger was in Big Brother in 2002.”
Additionally, fans had compared her to her fellow Big Brother contestant Nikki Grahame, who passed away in 2021 after battling anorexia her entire life.
“I honestly couldn’t believe it,” Kate said, referring to the comparisons. “To compare me to her is outrageous and so insensitive to Nikki’s family."
Image credits: thekatelawler
She went on, “If someone is on Instagram showing their curves and grabbing their rolls, it’s all, ‘You go girl, well done you!’” referencing the double standards on social media, where plus-sized women are praised for embracing their bodies, while slender women do not receive the same treatment.
“They’re celebrated, called real women,” she said. “Well, why can’t a real woman be a healthy size eight? It’s crazy.”
An expert broke down the perceived stigma of skinny shaming and why it happens
Image credits: thekatelawler
It’s a somewhat common misconception that people with “single-digit body fat percentages” are not healthy.
According to Melissa J. Pereau, a medical director and psychiatrist at Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center, commenting on this and participating in weight shaming can lead to the deterioration of both psychological and physical health.
“Teasing someone for their weight is never acceptable,” she said. “If people knew the long-term impact bullying has, I hope they would think twice about their words.”
When someone receives hate comments regarding their figure or body, they may delve into unhealthy behaviors such as binge eating or other measures that take things to the extreme.