Chrissy Teigen Offers A Brutally Honest Response To People Criticizing Her 'New Face'
No one deserves to be shamed for their appearance, yet Chrissy Teigen is by no means an innocent target.
Lev Radin / Shutterstock Chrissy Teigen is at the epicenter of online bullying once again, only this time, she’s the target. Teigen’s appearance was called out in an Instagram story posted by Dr. Kay Durairaj on June 15, 2023, in an apparent attempt by the plastic surgeon to warn followers about the dangers of overfill.
Chrissy Teigen offered a brutal response to people criticizing her ‘new face.’
The 37-year-old former model posted her own Instagram story, responding to Durairaj’s unfounded claim that her "new face" was the result of using too much filler. Durairaj qualified her Instagram story by writing, “This post is not out of mean intentions. It is merely here to discuss overfill and its possible consequences.”
The plastic surgeon immediately followed that statement with the words, “Chrissy Teigen’s ‘New Face,’ Look how your face could become if you’re doing it wrong!” She then listed various procedures that could cause “a puffy and bloated effect.”
Teigen fired back, highlighting Durairaj’s exclamation of “no mean intentions” with multiple question marks, stating, “But saying this could be your face if you do it wrong?” She then wrote, “You’re a piece of s-–t. I gained weight.”
Photo: chrissyteigen / Instagram
Teigen is the mother of three children and is in her late 30s. It’s entirely unrealistic to expect her physical appearance to stay the same as it’s always been. She is by no means the only woman whose looks have changed as time passes, nor is she alone in being criticized for it.
By now, we all know that the beauty standard is impossible to maintain. We all know it’s harmful. No one should be subject to harassment because of how they present themselves in the world, even when they’re famous.
Yet Teigen’s own role in upholding the vicious online echo-chamber of criticism can’t be ignored.
In 2021, Teigen had a major part in the conversation around online bullying — as the bully herself. She weaponized her Twitter account to brutally harass other public figures, like Courtney Stodden and Farrah Abraham, even going so far as to suggest that Stodden die. Teigen eventually issued an apology, stating, “I was insecure, immature and in a world where I thought I needed to impress strangers to be accepted,” as a justification for her actions.
“Words have consequences, and there are real people behind the Twitter handles I went after,” she stated. She went on to pose the question, “How did I not realize my words were cruel? What gave me the right to say these things?”
No person is perfect, and all people should be allowed the grace to grow. Just because Teigen bullied others, that doesn’t mean she should be dragged for how she looks.
In her apology, Teigen explained, “I’m no longer the person who wrote those horrible things. I grew up, got therapy, got married, had kids, got more therapy, experienced loss and pain, got more therapy and experienced more life.”
“I know now how it feels to be on the receiving end of incredible vitriol,” she concluded. “Believe me, the irony of this is not lost on me.”
Teigen’s experience as someone who both perpetuated online bullying and is the target of online bullying highlights the incredible toxicity and deeply-ingrained violence that arises from certain virtual spaces.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers celebrity gossip, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.