Size 6 model Georgia Gibbs and her plus-size model best friend Kate Wasley have opened up about their constant battle with body shamers.
Earlier this year, the Australian pair were taunted with cruel remarks about their contrasting sizes after sharing an image of themselves laughing side-by-side.
But their Instagram post quickly attracted criticism after Miss Gibbs, 21, was accused of Photoshopping herself to look slimmer standing next to her size 16 friend, 22.
Size 6 model Georgia Gibbs and her plus-size model best friend Kate Wasley have opened up about their constant battle with body shamers (pictured together)
Earlier this year, the Australian pair were taunted with cruel remarks about their contrasting sizes after sharing an image of themselves laughing side-by-side
Speaking to News Corp, the pair admitted they were initially ‘surprised’ – but they didn’t let the backlash discourage them because it wasn’t the first time they received criticism about their body image.
‘One client will say I’m too big [size 6] and that same day, one said I’m too small, yet one client was for swim and the other was for lingerie,’ Miss Gibbs said.
As Miss Wasley added: ‘People might say Georgia is anorexic, and that [it’s] great to use a real woman like me.
‘But then on another page, there’s all these comments saying I’m obese and unhealthy.’
Last week, the pair shared their excitement after they were featured on the front cover of a women’s magazine.
‘Proud muma [sic] moment. Not for me, not for Kate, not for @any.body_co but for every woman that has felt like you aren’t enough, you are MORE than enough,’ Miss Gibbs wrote on Instagram
She was accused of Photoshopping herself to look thinner standing next to her size 16 friend
Despite the outrage, the friends have since turned the negative comments into a positive campaign to promote body image
In March, the Perth friends attracted criticism, with many accusing Miss Gibbs of deliberately Photoshopping her friend to make herself look thinner.
‘We posted this picture, just as best friends going out on the weekend, it got reposted a lot and the controversy started,’ she wrote on Instagram in March.
‘”You have Photoshopped yourself thinner or your friend bigger, what kind of friend are you?” was one of the comments. It broke my heart because Kate and I are best friends why would I do that?
‘The fact that a simple picture of two people together went so viral purely because of their body types shocked me.’
Despite the outrage, the friends have since turned the negative comments into a positive campaign to promote body image.
The pair admitted they were initially ‘surprised’ – but they didn’t let the backlash discourage them because it wasn’t the first time they received criticism about their body image
They launched their own Instagram page called Any Body Co, which has since attracted more than 200,000 followers
They launched their own Instagram page called Any Body Co, which has since attracted more than 200,000 followers.
Previously speaking to People magazine, Miss Wasley said they hoped their campaign would ‘change society’s beauty standards’.
‘After reading comments and questions from people I know, one of the most common was “Don’t you ever feel self-conscious being the bigger one?”,’ she said.
‘We want to change society’s beauty standards that smaller is better, when in reality neither is better than the other. We think your health and wellbeing should be the priority.’