Men don’t get this treatment! Fearne’s fury at online trolls who branded her ‘too thin’
PRESENTER Fearne Cotton has condemned online trolls who branded her ‘ too thin’ as she claimed male celebrities are not subjected to the same shaming.
The former BBC Radio 1 presenter said she hit back at negative remarks because she is ‘extra sensitive’ about body comments after battling bulimia for a decade.
She said she also felt compelled to speak out to ‘fight this good fight for all women’ because their bodies are constantly ‘overly scrutinised and judged’.
Ms Cotton, 41, was told she looks ‘too thin’ and that her weight is ‘worrying’ after she was pictured in a black mini dress and Dr Marten ankle boots on Instagram.
‘I don’t see anyone comment on the shape or size of Louis Theroux’s legs because they’re too busy listening to what he’s got to say,’ she said in an Instagram video. ‘ Or anybody commenting on my lovely friend Joe Wicks, saying, “You look a bit too lean”. It doesn’t happen.’
In a separate post she wrote: ‘ No matter what my size, pregnant or otherwise, I have knobbly knees and spindly ankles. I have always held my weight around my midriff. It’s different for everyone.
‘Due to having been bulimic in my twenties I am extra sensitive to these sorts of discussions as I have worked hard to heal, recover and get to a place where I love food, eat for energy and pleasure, exercise to give my strength. Now I’m in my forties and feel so grateful for my health.’ She said discussion about how a person’s body looks is ‘not helpful’ and serves only to fuel ‘a narrative that women have to look a certain way to be accepted’.
She added: ‘This sort of attention is not cast upon men, ever.’
She assured her fans that she is ‘ beyond fine’ in the wake of the comments which she said did not ‘touch the f****** sides quite frankly’.
Ms Cotton, who is married with two children, said she also hopes to be a ‘supportive ally to all women in the disability community who have heaps more s*** to deal with in terms of body image and barriers in place’.
She finished: ‘So, I’m with you, ladies. I’m with you.’ In November Ms Cotton opened up about battling bulimia after articles surfaced on the return of ‘Heroin Chic’ – a term used to describe the Nineties trend for size zero, pale skin and grunge style.
‘I was bulimic for ten years which was partly an issue of self-loathing and partly a control mechanism,’ she wrote on Instagram at the time.
‘I still feel a discomfort in mentioning it, only spurred on by the knowledge that so many are dealing with it now and might feel like they’ll never break the cycle.’
And last week, Ms Cotton recalled the moment she confronted the owner of a scaffolding company after she was harassed by his employees in the street.
She said an ‘inner rage took hold’ after the men targeted her with abuse and sexual comments during a walk with her husband.
‘Extra sensitive to these discussions’