Sarah Michelle Gellar ignited fury on Tuesday after posting pictures of herself in lingerie as a self-reminder not to indulge too much over the upcoming holiday.
“I’m just going to pin these up all over my house as a reminder not to overeat on Thursday,” the actress captioned her Instagram post, adding the hashtag #thanksgivingprep.
Many were upset with Gellar’s photos and the messaging in her caption.
“How empowering for women! Disappointing to use your platform to promote thinspiration on a once a year holiday that should be about togetherness and gratitude,” one follower wrote. Another commenter said, “As a 5 year recovered anorexic I am telling you this is unacceptable. Why would you set this as an example for young girls? Unbelievably despicable.”
One fan added, “Perpetuating diet culture- no thanks. Unfollowing you.”
The comments prompted the 41-year-old to issue an apology, though she didn’t take down the post.
“It’s come to my attention that some people think I was ‘fat shaming’ with this post. That could not be further from my intentions,” the actress said. “I love Thanksgiving and unfortunately my eyes are often bigger than my stomach, and I tend to eat so much I make myself sick.”
She added that the post was intended to be humorous.
“This was a joking reminder to myself not to do that. I’m terribly sorry that people were offended by my attempt at humor. Any one that knows me, knows I would never intentionally ‘shame’ any one on any basis. I am a champion of all people,” Gellar wrote.
Lots of fans came forward to say they weren’t bothered by the caption or the backlash and didn’t understand why she apologized.
“Keep posting and encouraging health and body happiness. Good reminder for tomorrow and frankly for all the holiday season,” one commenter wrote, while another added, “Great idea! 🔥 Self control is hard sometimes, ’specially around pies!”
“You don’t need to explain yourself! We get it,” another wrote. “I call myself a baby whale all the time to keep me from becoming a full grown whale. It’s a joke, You’re talking about yourself. Who ever gets offended has serious issues.”
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