'Star Wars' Actress Daisy Ridley Fires Back at Body Shamers
— -- Daisy Ridley responded to a social post and meme floating around Instagram that focused on how skinny the "Star Wars" actress is and how her appearance gives young girls unreal expectations. Ridley fired back on Wednesday, but also asked her fans not to attack the user who wrote the original post.
"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!" she wrote next to a picture of her extended response to the original body comment.
In her note, the 23-year-old "Force Awakens" star first referenced how inspiring her character Rey is to so many fans.
"What's weird is most of the time I see such gorgeous messages from people around the world," she wrote. "People who relate to something in Rey they haven't found in a female character before."
She continued: "I'm a normal girl thrust into extraordinary circumstances, just like Rey. I will not apologise for how I look, what I say and how I live my life cause what's happening inside in much more important anyway. It seems apt I get tagged in this a day after I received misogynistic comments on my #IWD post [International Women's Day]. For all of you who celebrate each other, celebrate the ones you love, love yourselves, work hard, are kind, thank you for your continued support."
The actress was referring to an earlier post on March 8 for International Women's Day, where she posted the message: "Here's to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them."
Ridley then hammered home her point to critics.
"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all," she added. "Kindness isn't going to cure the world of all its awfulness but it's a good place to begin."
