40+ Celebs Who Ridiculously Got Criticized Online and Had Something to Say About It

This article appeared in Drivepedia and has been published here with permission.

40+ Celebs Who Ridiculously Got Criticized Online and Had Something to Say About It

Beauty standards are already unrealistic for us normal folks but for celebrities, there’s even more pressure to be “perfect.” People seem to forget that celebs are human, too, and you can’t just criticize their appearance simply because they’re famous. Well, these A-listers have had enough! They clapped back at their haters and set the record straight — every body is beautiful.

Christina Aguilera

After pregnancy, Christina Aguilera’s body changed a bit – which is completely natural and normal. However, instead of admiring how incredibly she was pulling off being a working mother, the press decided to dwell on Christina’s size.

Twitter // @liberatedbussy

They said that her new appearance was due to adult beverages, despite the fact that there are millions of other things that can alter a person’s body. Christina isn’t fussed, though, as she calmly stated, “As long as I am happy in my own skin, that is all that is all the confirmation I need.”

Rihanna

There’s no question that Rihanna is a trendsetter and that whatever she does will instantly become “cool.” That doesn’t excuse one journalist’s headline, though, which pondered if Rihanna’s size was going to make being heavy a “hot new trend.”

Twitter // @kezii_nae

Of course, Bad Girl RiRi had the perfect response, “If you can’t handle me at my 2007 Gucci Mane / you don’t deserve me at my 2017 Gucci Mane.” Ironically, that quote became a trend and we saw it all over social media for months!

Victoria Beckham

One particular critic saw a photo of Victoria Beckham and decided to use the opportunity to criticize a whole bunch of celebs. The comment read, “Victoria Beckham’s worst fears have come true as she has joined the wrinkly hand club — which also includes Sarah Jessica Parker, Courteney Cox, and Madonna.”

Shutterstock // BAKOUNINE

Wait, are celebrities not allowed to age now?! Furthermore, why are there no men in this “club”? Also, does this guy really think that anyone’s “worst fear” is a wrinkly hand?

Sarah Jessica Parker

Beauty is subjective but we can probably all agree that nobody’s ever been blinded from looking at a photo of Sarah Jessica Parker. Yet, she’s constantly criticized for her appearance. In fact, Family Guy even did a whole segment in which Sarah Jessica is a horse!

Reddit // u/ugly

Interestingly, her main criticism comes from the shape of her nose. Owen Wilson has an almost identical nose to that of the actress, yet no one seems bothered by his. Double standard? We think so.

Kelly Clarkson

Like many other celebs, Kelly Clarkson never signed up to be scrutinized for her appearance. She started her career as a singer and she’s now a talk show host — neither of those jobs requires a specific body type.

Pinterest // @closerweekly

Yet, the media went nuts when Kelly’s body changed a bit during pregnancy. “Kelly Clarkson shocked fans during her second pregnancy when she gained a massive amount of weight.” Um, what do these tabloids think happens when a woman is pregnant?!?!

Tyra Banks

Paparazzi often need to wait for hours on end in order to capture a celeb from an unflattering angle. That’s exactly what happened to Tyra Banks when a photographer managed to get a shot of her in which it looked like she’d put on a few.

Twitter // @mafaldacastro

Luckily, Tyra expertly shut the criticism down. She wore the exact same swimsuit on The Tyra Banks Show proving that the photo was deceivingly unflattering. The supermodel then offered for her critics to kiss the very part of her body they were insulting.

Soleil Moon Frye

Soleil Moon Frye became famous at just seven years old when she played Penelope “Punky” Brewster in the show Punky Brewster. As genetics would have it, her body developed very quickly and men often treated her as a woman when she was just a young girl.

Facebook // Starz Magazine

The press wasn’t any better, as they called Soleil “Punky Boobster” when she was just 13 years old. No one took Soleil seriously and they acted like the actress had done something wrong by developing early and “jail baiting” men.

Megan Fox

People seem so determined to criticize women for their appearance that they’ll go to any lengths to find something “wrong” with someone. When it came to Megan Fox, critics had to stoop so low as to focus on one single finger.

Facebook // Dimitri Paparazzi

Megan was born with Brachydactyly type D a.k.a. short thumb. Basically, it’s a condition clinically recognized by a thumb being relatively short and round with an accompanying wider nail bed. The press had a field day, insinuating that Megan’s thumb ruins her overall aesthetic. Ugh, as if.

Ben Affleck

While women definitely have it harder, men can absolutely be victims of unrealistic beauty standards, too. Shortly after his split from Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck was photographed looking out at the sea.

Twitter // @CharlesPattson

Apparently, celebs aren’t allowed to enjoy nature anymore, especially if they’ve put on some weight. The media assumed that Ben was depressed — simply because he was watching the waves. They called him “sad Ben” and literally wrote a whole article about how “pathetic” his life had become. Seriously, all this because the dude was having a pensive moment.

Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet became a household name with the massive hit Titanic. Unfortunately, she also became the butt of many jokes about that famous door scene, because of her size.

Shutterstock // Featureflash Photo Agency

She was even warned by a drama teacher that she should settle for chunky sidekick roles rather than try to be a leading lady. As it turns out, Kate got the last laugh by becoming an Oscar winner and one of the most successful actresses of her generation.

Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson is living proof that women just can’t win when it comes to their appearance. When she rose to fame on American Idol, the singer was criticized for being too large. After giving birth to her son, Jennifer decided to lose some weight in order to be healthier for her child.

Twitter // @Nnablanko

Then, the media decided that the pop star was too small! So, it seems that unless a woman fits into the decidedly “perfect” weight category (which usually only has wiggle room of a three-pound radius), she’s “unhealthy.”

Camila Cabello

Camila Cabello is yet another celebrity who has had to face criticism for her size. The singer’s body has changed a bit over the years (as bodies tend to do) and the tabloids saw that as a reason to drag Camila down. However, the star pointed out that she looks like an average 25-year-old woman.

Reddit // u[deleted]

People simply think they’re supposed to look different because of “Photoshop, restrictive eating, over-exercising and choosing angles that make our bodies look different than how they are in the moment and in their natural form.”

Scarlett Johannson

Scarlett Johannson is an adult human woman and therefore, she has some cellulite. This should hardly be newsworthy that a grown woman’s body has some cellulite on it, yet, tabloids were all over a bikini photo that showed the backs of Scarlett’s thighs.

Twitter // @FanCelebsFR02

They said the actress was “over the hill” and “covered in cellulite.” By “over the hill,” they meant “human” — and by “covered in cellulite,” they meant “had a normal amount.” There, we fixed it.

Sarah Hyland

Modern Family star Sarah Hyland has experienced criticism for her small frame. Let’s ignore the fact that it’s none of the public’s business what she looks like, but Sarah’s weight loss wasn’t even intentional.

Twitter // @skinnyxlatte

The actress was put on bed rest due to a kidney transplant and, as one could imagine, bed rest equates to losing muscle mass due to not moving around. Instead of taking that time to focus on her recovery, Sarah had to explain to the world why her body had changed.

Gabby Douglas

Gabby Douglas is an Olympic gymnast and silver medal winner. This woman did flips, cartwheels, and jumps that most of us can never dream of doing. So, of course, what did the world focus on? Her hair.

Twitter // @freshersic

Apparently, Gabby’s hair wasn’t “professional” looking enough for some people. We’d love to meet these magical internet trolls who are capable of keeping their hair perfectly in place while doing somersaults in the air.

Gabourey Sidibe

Gabourey Sidibe looked absolutely beautiful in her shimmery dress at the 2014 Golden Globes Awards. However, there were some nasty comments about her weight. One person even wrote, “Who thought this was okay?” underneath a photo of the actress.

Shutterstock // Debby Wong

Um, a person over size two leaving the house isn’t okay?! Well, Gabourey made the clap back of the year when she wrote, “To people making mean comments about my GG pics, I most def cried about it on that private jet on my way to my dream job last night.” Perfect.

Jennifer Aniston

A word to the wise — don’t ask Jennifer Aniston if she’s pregnant. In fact, don’t ask anyone if they’re pregnant… ever. Unless you see a baby’s head crowning, do not assume a woman is pregnant.

Reddit // u/anongirl55

Jennifer put it perfectly when she said, “For the record, I am not pregnant. What I am is fed up. I’m fed up with the sport-like scrutiny … that occurs daily under the guise of ‘journalism,’ the ‘First Amendment,’ and ‘celebrity news.'”

Serena Williams

Serena Williams is an incredibly talented athlete, so it can be assumed that the woman has a muscle or two on her body. However, some internet trolls decided that Serena’s athletic frame makes her look manly.

Twitter // @Independent

It’s funny… aren’t people always “concerned” about celebrities’ “health” when they’re over or underweight? Well, you can’t get much healthier than Serena Williams. Yet, her body isn’t the “correct” body type either. Luckily, J.K. Rowling stepped in with this gem — “Yeah, my husband looks just like this in a dress. You’re an idiot.”

Lady Gaga

When she performed at the 2017 Super Bowl, Lady Gaga’s body became the topic of conversation — as opposed to her perfect performance. Gaga is by no means “chunky” but her shorts for that show didn’t fit her properly.

Reddit // u/ThatCalligrapher4554

Rather than realize that Gaga’s wardrobe stylist simply got the wrong size, people decided that this meant the pop star needed to lose some weight. Sadly, the public refused to understand that Gaga’s shorts were an ill fit, which said everything about the shorts and nothing about her body.

Khloé Kardashian

Khloé Kardashian is seemingly always being criticized for something. She was routinely called the “ugly” Kardashian by the press and then, everyone was somehow shocked when she got plastic surgery. Now, the issue has become her weight.

Instagram // @khloekardashian

For years, the reality star was considered too heavy and people said she needed to lose weight. So, she lost weight. Now, everyone’s complaining that she’s too slim and needs to gain a bit. Khloé summed it up perfectly when she sarcastically said, “I love this game!!”

Jonah Hill

Jonah Hill has slimmed down in recent years, but at the beginning of his career, the actor had to deal with the public telling him how much he weighed — as if he didn’t know.

Twitter // @WATNCelebrity

Jonah demonstrated more class and patience than we’d ever be able to in his position, when he pleaded with his fans. “I know you mean well but I kindly ask that you not comment on my body, good or bad, I want to politely let you know it’s not helpful and doesn’t feel good. Much respect.”

Melissa McCarthy

Melissa McCarthy doesn’t have time for haters or their nastiness! When people pretend to be concerned about her health as an excuse to make rude comments about her weight, Melissa pities them.

Twitter // @Libertea2012

“I felt really bad for someone who is swimming in so much hate. I just thought that’s someone who’s in a really bad spot, and I am in such a happy spot. I laugh my head off every day with my husband and my kids who are mooning me and singing me songs.”

Nicola Coughlan

Nicola Coughlan is sick of people not bothering to learn her name and we don’t blame her! There was one particular podcaster who kept referring to Nicola as the heavy girl from Bridgerton when discussing her 2021 Golden Globes outfit.

Reddit // u/scubairulan

He claimed that the actress wore a black cardigan with her yellow dress to hide her weight. Nicola expertly responded, “I thought the cardigan looked ace, Molly Goddard used them on her runway with the dresses that’s where the idea came from, also I have a name.”

Billie Eilish

In the latest episode of Women Can Never Win, we have Billie Eilish. The singer became known for her baggy clothes and laid-back style, which was often criticized for not being “feminine” enough.

Twitter // @eilishdata

Recently, she got a makeover in which she’s started to wear more form-fitting clothes and dresses. Of course, everyone started freaking out and calling Billie “promiscuous.” This is why women are emotional — it’s not hormones, it’s the stress of constant scrutiny and judgment.

Ashley Graham

Supermodel Ashley Graham has been in the limelight long enough to know that no matter what she does, it’ll be criticized. Pretty much every picture Ashley’s ever posted on social media has been trolled in some way.

Facebook // Ashley Graham Lovers

As she so aptly pointed out, “When I post a photo from a ‘good angle,’ I receive criticism for looking smaller and selling out. When I post photos showing my cellulite, stretch marks, and rolls, I’m accused of promoting obesity.”

Ariel Winter

Ariel Winter has arguably gotten the most criticism of all the Modern Family child cast. When Ariel’s body became more womanly, fans made inappropriate comments. When her weight changed, as it does when someone grows up, the public had an issue with it.

Reddit// u/AsleepShower1110

When Ariel started to change her clothing style to match her maturity, people questioned her innocence. To be clear, what did they think would happen? She’d stay a kid forever?!

Chrissy Teigen

When she posted a swimsuit photo on social media, Chrissy Teigen received endless backlash for her body. People said that she was “shaped like Spongebob.” Um, what episode of Spongebob were they watching?! They also referred to Chrissy’s husband, John Legend, saying that he’s “gotta be cheating.”

Twitter // @chrissyteigen

Wow, if these people think that someone’s body type means their partner’s surely cheating on them, we feel bad for these individuals’ relationships! Chrissy expertly brushed it off by writing, ​​”I’m happy, John’s happy, we all happy and doing a-okay!”

Wentworth Miller

Prison Break’s Wentworth Miller went through a bit of a tough time in his personal life and says that he turned to food for comfort. Unfortunately, rather than give the actor some much-needed time to heal, the internet cruelly created a meme in which they compared two photos of the actor with the caption,

(Left) Twitter // @thepooluk | (Right) Twitter // @kermity

“When you break out of prison and find out about McDonald’s monopoly …” Wentworth admirably took the opportunity to educate people about mental health and the dangers of bullying.

Amy Schumer

The media loves to victimize Amy Schumer and make it seem like she’s suffering in her body because she isn’t a size two. Meanwhile, in reality, Amy is out there living her best life.

Twitter // @yahoolife

The actress pointed out that she can get intimacy whenever she wants and isn’t exactly worried about it. “That’s the truth. It’s not a problem.” Well, why would it be? Amy also assured fans that the haters can’t hurt someone who has “zero shame in your game.”

Emma Stone

Emma Stone is one of those celebs who’s constantly ridiculed for her slim frame. Don’t worry — if she were to put on some extra weight, the haters would be ready to criticize her for that too.

Pinterest // @bordeman1485

Meanwhile, Emma’s learned to ignore the trolls. The actress has said, “I’ve seen a lot of comments that say, ‘Eat a sandwich’ or ‘She looks sick.’ I’ve been looking at myself in the mirror, being mean to myself. I’m not sick. I eat sandwiches.”

Florence Pugh

Florence Pugh wore a sheer dress in which one could see her chest. Well, apparently, people thought that since they could see it – that gave them the right to comment on it.

Pinterest // @enews

The public criticized Florence, saying that she was too flat to be showing off her chest like that. The actress responded, “It makes me wonder what happened to you to be so content on being so loudly upset by the size of my … and body..?” That’s a really good question…

50 Cent

50 Cent’s famous single “Lil Bit” came out when he was 30 years old. Since then, the rapper has had the audacity to age to 47 years old. Fans seemed perplexed at how time works when 50 Cent performed at the Super Bowl in 2022.

Instagram // @hollywoodunlocked

They seemed shocked and horrified that he no longer had the exact same body that he did when he was a young man. 50 Cent clarified that the criticism doesn’t bother him because it “only applies when you’re ashamed,” which he most definitely shouldn’t be!

Teddi Mellencamp

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Teddi Mellencamp had to deal with a whole slew of trolls when she wore a pink mini dress. Apparently, people had issues with the fact that the dress didn’t hide Teddi’s cellulite.

Twitter // @bravobeez

In a world full of gory horror movies and adult films that are questionable at best, the internet decided that a grown woman’s cellulite was what their eyes couldn’t handle. Teddi replied, “Guess what?! I am proud of it and most of us have it. Let’s normalize the reality.”

Chloe Cherry

Chloe Cherry of Euphoria fame naturally has the type of lips that most people pay a lot of money for. Interestingly, the public seems to think that Chloe’s natural lips are far too much. We wonder how many of those same people routinely pay for injections…

Reddit // u/shynailgirl

The actress pointed out that no one seemed bothered or upset by her lips before she became famous. She managed to get through years without anyone running away screaming after seeing her face. Imagine that?

Kylie Jenner

When Kylie Jenner had her baby Stormi, the internet made the completely unnecessary decision to compare Kylie’s pre and post-baby bodies. Then, someone commented on the reality star’s social media that she looked better “before” Stormi, and Kylie had the perfect response.

Facebook // Kylie Jenner 

“I birthed a baby.” Seriously, no further explanation is needed. In fact, no explanation should’ve been needed anyway. Her body went through something miraculous and this person is worried about which version of Kylie was slimmer? Really?!

Bethenny Frankel

Bethenny Frankel, known for The Real Housewives of New York City, should teach a course on how time works. The reality star stated, “My favorite is people telling me that I’ve aged & that I don’t look how I used to…Ummm yeah, wait…am I doing it wrong?”

Daily Mail // MEGA

“Are we not all aging? Even if I filter myself and get plastic surgery I assume I’m still getting older, not younger right. Or am I bad at math and science?” No, Bethenny, you’re completely right!

Beyoncé

Even Queen Bey is subject to criticism from time to time. Rather than sulk or cry, Beyoncé chose to use her haters’ comments and turn them into a song. That song became the hit single “Bootylicious” and we’re eternally grateful for it.

Twitter // @notgwendalupe

Beyoncé said that this particular single was “the beginning of me using whatever life handed me and turning it into something empowering to other women and men who were struggling with the same thing.”

Matt LeBlanc

It’s really interesting how people insist on determining one’s mental state solely on their physical appearance. When Matt LeBlanc appeared in the Friends reunion show, people noticed that his body had changed.

Facebook // Friends Forever

Rather than understand the fact that it had been nearly 20 years since Friends aired, the public insisted that Matt must be going through something. They claimed that he was “smashing the scales” and “hit rock bottom.” In reality, he had just aged — as we all do!

Simone Biles

Simone Biles is an Olympic gymnast who’s somehow stirred actual controversy over the state of her hair. No, you’re not having déjà vu — the world is just doing to Simone exactly what they did to Gabby Douglas.

Twitter // @davidcastro1018

Simone perfectly shut it down by saying, “I have one question to everyone commenting about my hair when I genuinely look happy in the photo. Do you look perfect ALL the time? Everything in perfect order?” We think we can guess the answer.

Alicia Silverstone

When Alicia Silverstone was cast as Batgirl in Batman and Robin, the media referred to her as a name that rhymes with Batgirl but was a criticism of her weight. If they’re going to be cruel, they can at least be original.

Twitter // @rose_tylerss

Alicia recently revealed her feelings about the constant scrutiny by posting a TikTok in which she’s holding up her middle finger, and the song “ABCDEFU” by Gayle is playing. The video is captioned “Damn. I think I look good.” You do, Alicia, you do.

Kourtney Kardashian

As usual, fans took Kourtney Kardashian’s curves to mean that she must be pregnant. Because heaven forbid a celebrity has a big lunch, right?

Instagram // @kourtneykardash

Kourtney assured the fan that she wasn’t pregnant but she was “a woman with a BODY.” The reality star went on to say, “I know what my body looks like when I’m pregnant. I’ve been pregnant three times. It’s very feminine to have curves and I embrace my body, so I didn’t take it offensively.”

Britney Spears

Britney Spears has been ridiculed by the press since day one. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to be letting up any time soon, as the newest criticism has been about the pop star’s body. Let’s be clear — Britney can perform physically demanding dances for hours on end, and all while singing!

Reddit // u/anongirl55

It’s clear that this A-lister is perfectly healthy, even if she doesn’t always have a six-pack. Even if she wasn’t healthy (which she is), how is that anyone’s business but her own?

Madonna

Madonna first rose to fame in the ’80s, when beauty standards hadn’t yet embraced curvier figures (although, even now, only certain types of curves are accepted.) She was constantly referred to as “chunky” and the press seemed shocked that fans were attracted to her.

Pinterest // @dailymail

Now that they no longer ridicule her weight, the media has decided to comment on Madonna’s age, as if she’s the only person to ever get older. See? Not even the Queen of Pop can win!

Iskra Lawrence

Model Iskra Lawrence shut down haters who had an issue with her body. Iskra knows that actions speak louder than words. Therefore, rather than call the critics out in a way that they’d simply brush off, she used the very thing that she’s famous for — modeling.

Facebook // Iskra Lawrence

Iskra did a photoshoot with bags of chips, showing that she eats and looks good while doing it! That’s not a bad way to hate on the haters. Not at all!

Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez became famous at a very young age, so it makes sense that her body changed as she grew up. As a result, the paparazzi photos of the pop star/actress in a pink bikini didn’t exactly go over well.

Facebook // ABP News

However, as Selena aptly pointed out, the comments didn’t simply call her “heavy” and then move on. Instead, she was called a “mess” and there was concern that she’d “gone off the deep end.” So, they got all that from the girl growing a bit?

Cameron Diaz

Back when Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake broke up, a paparazzi photo of the actress came out and the accompanying headline wasn’t exactly flattering. Cameron was bent over in a way that gave her stomach rolls, which she doesn’t usually have.

Twitter // @RobertZurel

The photo’s caption read something along the lines of, “Maybe those rolls are what chased Justin away.” Basically, the message to young girls was — it’s bad to have rolls when bent over or sitting down (even though everyone does) and if you look less than perfect, your boyfriend will leave you.