Dance Mothers alum Paige Hyland issued a fierce reminder against the keyboard warriors who feel comfortable publicly discussing individuals’ bodies online.
“Prepare with me while we speak about why it’s never OK to comment on someone’s body,” Hyland, 25, began a Saturday, July 25, video shared via Instagram. “It’s 2026, I believed all of us knew this, but I suppose we’d like a bit of refresher.”
After sharing bikini pics via Instagram earlier this month, Hyland was flooded with comments about her allegedly-concerning small frame.
“The comments I got were diabolical. There have been so many individuals saying I looked anorexic, I’m promoting unhappy eating habits and that, as an influencer, I shouldn’t be encouraging this behavior,” she stated. “As an influencer, I feel prefer it’s my responsibility to arise for people whose bodies naturally appear to be mine.”
In response to Hyland, she’s “been tiny” her entire life without intentionally attempting to slim down.
“In actual fact, I’m going to the gym to try to construct muscle,” she said. “Losing a few pounds has never been a goal of mine. … I’ve never got here out and said [I’ve had an eating disorder] because I’ve never had one, which I’m extremely grateful for.”
Hyland added, “If I did have an eating disorder, imagine reading comments from hundreds of individuals picking apart my body and diagnosing me after they don’t know what’s happening? That is just not concern, that’s public body-shaming disguised as concern, which is just not cute.”
Hyland further stated that individuals are “never entitled” to comment on another person’s physique simply “because you’re thinking that you’re helping.”
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“Truth is, you might have no idea what someone’s going through,” Hyland acknowledged. “Someone may very well be recovering from an eating disorder, they may have a medical condition, they may very well be grieving or they may just be naturally thin like me. You truly don’t know.”
Hyland, for her part, noted that she “never” followed a strict weight loss plan or restricted her intake of sweets or carbohydrates.
“I eat the whole lot, my body just naturally looks like this. While I’m confident in myself, I do know there’s other girls who probably appear to be me which can be reading the comments on my picture pondering there’s something flawed with their bodies,” the fact TV alum said. “That genuinely makes me sick to my stomach. Similar to it’s flawed for shaming someone for being larger, it’s also flawed for shaming them for being smaller.”
Hyland concluded, “Body positivity has to incorporate all bodies or else it’s not ‘body positivity.’ So before you go to comment on someone’s weight, whether it’s, ‘You look too skinny,’ ‘Eat a burger,’ whatever it’s, just don’t. As a substitute, possibly comment about their smile or tell them that you simply like their outfit. There’s so many other things you’ll be able to do besides commenting on someone’s body.”
When you or someone you realize struggles with an eating disorder, visit the National Alliance for Eating Disorders website or call their hotline at (866) 662-1235. Text “ALLIANCE” to 741741 free of charge, 24/7 support.