Katherine Webb Explains Why She Lashed Out at Body Critics
Webb was criticized after posting a bikini photo on Instagram
— -- Former Miss Alabama Katherine Webb says she was “really surprised” by the criticisms pointed at her after posting a bikini photo but does admit seeing how outsiders could think she looked too thin in the photo.
Webb, 25, started an online firestorm last week when she posted her own bikini photo on Instagram , writing, “Getting ready for swimsuit season on the west coast ?? Love my team @betsyatwilly @shekarchian @wilhelmina_La.”
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The post was liked more than 10,000 times but also drew a string of comments, many of them negative and calling Webb too thin.
“Someone please give her a sandwich,” one commenter wrote. “What happened she looked amazing but now is looking anorexic.”
Webb -- who captured the spotlight two years ago when while in the stands cheering for her now-husband, AJ McCarron, then-University of Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron –- quickly fired back at her critics, again on Instagram.
“To all of you who think I need to gain weight or eat more, I eat just fine. I am 5'11 so I have a lot more places to put my calories. I eat crap most of the time anyways. And to all the middle-aged women who like to leave mean comments on my page about my body, you can gladly skip my page and go somewhere else. I am tall, I eat just fine and also suffer from thyroid problems so don't make fun of me or my body when you probably have problems of your own. I rarely react to this kind of stuff, but this really bothers me,” she wrote one day after posting the bikini photo.
Webb told ABC News’ Linzie Janis she “will agree” why people saw the bikini photo and thought she looked thin, but said the comments still hurt.
“I was really surprised at the response, just of the amount of disgust and disapproval with the way I looked,” Webb said. “It’s a very sensitive issue for me because I dealt with self-esteem issues growing up.”
“I was tall and thin and lanky,” she said.
Webb says she now stands at 5’11” but did not reveal how much she weighs.
“I think I was maybe posing in a way that made it look like I was more thin than I really am,” Webb said of the now-viral photo.
As for the thyroid issue Webb mentioned in her Instagram response, the model says it’s “been an issue” for her and can cause her weight to fluctuate.
“To the bullies and to people that want to say negative things, really think about what you’re saying,” Webb said. “Can you imagine if someone said those things to you?”
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