Entertainment
Many of us grew up alongside Ariel Winter, star of ABC's hit sitcom, Modern Family. Viewers of the sitcom, which has spanned 10 seasons, saw Ariel blossom from an 11-year-old to a 21-year-old adult. And as we all discovered for ourselves - being a teenager is tough - but it's even more so if you're doing the whole thing on-screen, while tens of millions of people look on, just itching to pass judgement.
And although Ariel is now at an age when she's better equipped to tune out those same online trolls, that doesn't mean that it still doesn't take a toll. Case in point: the actress once again had to defend herself from social media users who claimed that she was "too thin", with some going as far as to allege that she had gotten plastic surgery.
"Whoa you slimmed down hella. Where are the curves?!" one Instagram user questioned, while another corroborated "You’re losing your thick!!!"
Talk proceeded to turn to whether the 21-year-old had received cosmetic surgery. "Healthier? She got work done to her face. She looked ‘healthier’ before," one individual asserted, and another echoed "Nothing wrong with being honest and telling her we liked her better before ‘the change’ she was so beautiful before she started chopping up her body and if me saying so helps one gurl out there to feel beautiful who’s thinking of PS then its worth it [sic].
Eventually, Ariel decided to settle the debate. "I appreciate you wanting to help girls love themselves the way they are, but you are also kind of cutting someone (me) down," she responded. "I also didn’t get plastic surgery. That is also not being supportive of women if you’re just assuming something about the way they look."
Luckily, the actress had plenty of fans who rushed to her defence. "Y’all complain when y’all think she gained weight and y’all complain when y’all think she lost weight. How about we just let her be. I think Ariel always looks beautiful," wrote one fan, and another added "You’ve worked so hard so hard proud of you girll."
"Why is everyone being so critical? She lost weight so what. It’s HER body," a third individual wrote.
This is not the first time Ariel has had to clap back at body shamers, and those who think it's acceptable to critique her sartorial choices. Back in September, she took to Instagram to assert that she's just been trying to "live [her] life!"
"People wear shorts. People have wardrobe malfunctions. No one is perfect. I'm not a stylist! I don't know what to wear everyday so I look 'appropriate' or "fashionable' [...] Also, screw having to always look appropriate or fashionable. For what? Society? Who gets to decide what is appropriate or fashionable? I wear what I like and no one should fault me for that."
Good on you, Ariel!