Daisy Ridley, ‘Star Wars’ Star, Shuts Down Body-Shamer

Daisy Ridley, who shot to superstardom as Rey in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, took on a body-shamer on Instagram.

Daisy Ridley v. Body Shamer

An Instagram user, apparently unhappy with producers’ decision to cast the slight Ridley in the part of Rey, posted a meme that suggested Ridley didn’t have the body of a “real woman.” In the image, a still of Ridley in character as Rey in The Force Awakens has a thought bubble, which reads, “I can’t believe the unrealistic expectations I’m setting for young girls. Who cast me anyway? Don’t they know real women have curves?”

In response Ridley wrote, “‘Real women’ are all shapes and sizes, all ethnicities, all levels of brave, have families, don’t have families,” adding, “I am a ‘real woman’ like every other woman in this world.”

Ridley, when reposting the image on her own account, forgot to blur or crop out the Instagram user’s handle, which led to her own fans then going after that person – which wasn’t Ridley’s intention.

“Guys it was not my intention for anyone to send messages to that poor person that posted the original picture. My whole post is about being kind to each other, so please refrain!” Ridley wrote on Instagram, captioning a much longer message that delved into Rey being a strong female character.

“What’s weird is most of the time I see such gorgeous messages from people around the world,” Ridley wrote. “People who relate to something in Rey they haven’t found in a female character before. People who’s daughters now think they can do things without the aid of a man, but who wouldn’t be ashamed to ask for help. People who loved that The Force Awakens has multiple incredible female characters.”

A photo posted by @daisyridley on Mar 9, 2016 at 1:13pm PST

“It is much more hurtful to continue to slate other women than BE a woman, BE a character, BE whoever you want to be,” Ridley added. “I’m a normal girl thrust into extraordinary circumstances, just like Rey. I will not apologize for how I look, what I say and how I live my life cause what’s happening inside is much more important anyway and I am striving to be the best version of myself, even if I stumble along the way.”