Alexa Chung is a model, TV host, clothing designer and all-around “it” girl for the indie-slacker-fashionista gals out there, myself included. Her effortless style, raspy voice and pert British accent have set her apart over recent years, and landed her a leading spot as Madewell’s spokesmodel. Chung has blogs-upon-blogs dedicated to her, posting photos of her from anywhere on the Internet one might dig them up, but one posted on Instagram this weekend stirred up some controversy. Apparently the model, idolized for her boyish figure, is now too thin, to the point of “thinspo.” See the questionable photo after the cut. 


After incurring some pretty nasty responses, mainly the petty and ignorant kind, Alexa responded the way any adult would — see her response at the bottom:


I think Alexa’s response was pretty measured — I appreciate that she says “People are different sizes” because that’s the bottom line. The girls posting nasty responses to her photo (see some more in the slideshow) are freaked out because that’s not what they’re used to seeing, either on themselves or on most people. That doesn’t, however, mean that it’s wrong. I’ve caught flack my whole life, not only for being thin and boyish, but also for gaining weight any time I did. While I feel like no one would walk up to a girl and say, “Your boobs are too big” or “You’ve got muffin-tops,” people do feel comfortable commenting on a thin person’s weight, as if they’re immune to criticism because they’re thin. It’s a strange phenomenon I’ve observed a lot in my life. Having been called anorexic more than a few times over the years, I totally understand why Alexa would make her account private after these comments. In my opinion, she’s right; we’re all different, and the Internet’s anonymity might give people the right to their opinion, but it unfortunately opens the floodgates for outspoken ignorance, too. Good for her for nipping it in the bud.

Do you disagree? Is Alexa too thin?

[image source, image source, source]