Daisy Ridley Shuts Down Body-Shaming Troll

Daisy Ridley was rudely acquainted with the realities of the internet in a drama that played out in the comments section of a now-deleted Instagram post. After a post celebrating International Women’s Day, Ridley was the target of a body-shaming critic who chastised her for being too thin. The Instagram user said that Ridley “set unrealistic expectations” that could damage young girls who don’t know that “real women have curves.” Ridley, who is a woman, refused to have her reality questioned. “'Real women' are all shapes and sizes, all ethnicities, all levels of brave,” she wrote. “I am a 'real woman' like every other woman in this world.” That would seem to be the end of things, but Ridley’s fans apparently sent the body shamer rude messages. Ridley then deleted her post which contained both the image and her comment and put up another post calling for kindness. “People who relate to something in Rey they haven't found in a female character before,” she wrote. “People who[se] daughters now think they can do things without the aid of a man, but who wouldn’t be ashamed to ask for help. It is much more hurtful to continue to slate other women than BE a woman, BE a character, BE whoever you want to be." She went on, refusing to back down or be silenced. “I will not apologise for how I look, what I say and how I live my life cause what's happening inside is much more important anyway and I am striving to be the best version of myself, even if I stumble along the way,” she wrote. Ridley finished with a call for kindness. "Remember that expression, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Kindness isn't going to cure the world of all its awfulness but it's a good place to begin."