Sarah Michelle Gellar Apologizes After Backlash For Fat-Shaming In Instagram Post

After sharing a series of photos of herself on Instagram posing in lingerie and jokingly reminding herself not to overeat on Thanksgiving, Sarah Michelle Gellar faced backlash and was accused of fat-shaming. 

“I’m just going to pin these up all over my house as a reminder not to overeat on Thursday #thanksgivingprep,” the actress wrote as the caption. 

Once the post went up, Gellar’s fans took to the comment section of the post to voice their frustrations and call her out for fat-shaming as the Thanksgiving holiday approached. 

“Wow. Really shocked that a woman in a position of influence and a mother would post this. Is that where you place your value? On the size of your thighs? Or your protruding hip bones? Nothing positive comes from this post. Only narcissism and [the] theory that women need to be skinny to be acceptable. You should remove this post. Immediate unfollow from me,” one fan wrote.

“Your caption is problematic and I suggest you do some research on eating disorders, the mental health issues that go along with them, and how diet culture is harmful to women. Girls look up to you, and you should be mindful of the message you’re sending,” another person wrote.

After the Buffy the Vampire Slayer star learned the backlash, she apologized and explained that she only meant it as a joke.

“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,” she wrote in the post’s comments. “I love Thanksgiving and unfortunately my eyes are often bigger than my stomach, and I tend to eat so much I make myself sick. 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.”

Before the 41-year-old actress apologized, many female celebrities came to her defense, including Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Debra Messing. “Is it weird if I pin these pics of you in my house too?” Polizzi wrote, “Are you KIDDING me!?!” Messing added. 

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Since taking heat, Gellar has continued to carry on with her Thanksgiving plans with her family. On Wednesday, she posted about a cookbook in her Instagram story, captioning one of the photos, “Yum!”