It’s no secret that the fashion industry celebrates a specific body type: that of a tall, thin, usually white young woman. While steps towards greater diversity are being made, fashion week’s runways still bear witness to this fact. Despite being one of the leading faces of fashion today (she’s just walked in the Versace show and is the current face of Balmain) Gigi Hadid has been on the recieving end of some pretty nasty body shaming. Yesterday she called out the culprits in a strongly worded letter posted via her Instagram account. 

“No, I don’t have the same body type as the other models in shows,” she writes. “I represent a body image that wasn’t accepted in high fashion before, and I’m very lucky to be supported by the designers, stylist and editors that I am... But if you’re not one of those people, don’t take your anger out on me. Yes, I have boobs, I have abs, I have a butt, I have thighs, but I’m not asking for special treatment... If you don’t like it, don’t follow me, don’t watch me, cause I’m not going anywhere.”

While Hadid may have her critics, she also has her fans, such as Diane von Furstenberg, Donatella Versace and Jeremy Scott – all of whom booked her in their respective SS16 shows. Since posting the letter, she’s reported being inundated with support from the likes of Victoria’s Secret models, plus-size models and Tyra Banks, along with people she describes as “who are the most emotionally affected within the fashion industry by this type of criticism.”

It just goes to show the incredible level of scrutiny that women’s bodies are put under; that someone like Gigi (who seems to conform to Western society’s beauty ideals) can be the object of such vitriol. Hopefully they'll think twice about making Hadid their target.