Nina Agdal Slams Body Shamers, Reveals Why She Took a Year Off from Modeling

Nina Agdal isn’t afraid to speak her truth. The model not only opened up about a recent body-shaming incident but also revealed how her crippling social anxiety and industry pressures caused her to take a year off from modeling.

In an Instagram post where Agdal shared a photo of herself shirtless and in jeans, she wrote, “Today, I’m disappointed and appalled at the still very harsh reality of this industry. A few months ago, I agreed to shoot with a creative team I believed in and was excited to collaborate with.”

“When my agent received an unapologetic email concluding they would not run my cover/story because it 'did not reflect well on my talent' and 'did not fit their market,' the publisher claimed my look deviated from my portfolio and that I did not fit into the (sample size) samples, which is completely false,” she continued. “If anyone has any interest in me, they know I am not an average model body—I have an athletic build and healthy curves.”

Agdal said the blow came after she took a year away from the “insensitive and unrealistic pressures of the industry” and dealt with her “paralyzing social anxiety.” So, when the shoot went down, she said she walked into it “as a 25-year-old WOMAN feeling more comfortable in my own skin and healthier than ever before.”

“Some days I’m a sample size, some days I’m a size 4, some a 6,” she continued. “I am not built as a runway model and have never been stick thin. Now more than ever, I embrace my curves and work diligently in the gym to stay strong and most of all, sane. I am proud to say that my body has evolved from when I started this crazy ride as a 16-year-old GIRL with unhealthy and insufficient eating habits.”

“So, shame on you and thank you to the publisher for reaffirming how important it is to live your truth and say it out loud, no matter who you are or what size,” she went on. Agdal said she decided to share the image to bring awareness to body shaming in general in hopes that women everywhere will celebrate their bodies. “Let's find ways to build each other up instead of constantly finding ways to tear each other down,” she concluded.