“I know that my body will always be criticized” – Paige Spiranac on feeling ‘immense pressure’ to look good
Maxim’s World's Sexiest Woman title winner Paige Spiranac recently spoke against body shaming. The golf influencer/model said that she is “tired” of being body shamed. Just weeks after hitting out at online trolls for mean comments on her body, Spiranac took to her YouTube channel to share her experience.
The former golfer has been receiving criticism over her looks and outfits for many years. However, she found herself in a weird position when online commenters fat-shamed her after she threw the first pitch at the Milwaukee Brewers game last month. Following this, the 29-year-old stated that the comments “hurt” her.
A great ceremonial first drive at @xgolfamfamfield yesterday, a perfect ceremonial first pitch today! What can’t @PaigeSpiranac do?
She’ll be signing autographs for Brewers fans at X-Golf on the Club Level soon. Stop by to say, “Hi!” https://t.co/ltVGEeEBIi
Paige Spiranac talks about body acceptance in her Youtube video
In an extended response to the event, Paige Spiranac released a video, titled Body Shaming & Life Online, Do I Deserve It?. In the October 6, 2022, video, Spiranac explained her position and said that she looked different because she could not use "filters" in real life. She explained the struggle of getting prepped up for events and added that she felt “immense pressure to look perfect, all the time.”
Speaking in her YouTube video, Paige Spiranac said:
"When I shoot, I obviously pick the best pictures. I have great lighting. There's a lot that goes into getting a nice picture. And so, when you're at a stadium that has severe overhead lighting, fluorescent overhead lighting, you're just not going to look your best. And so I have just felt this immense pressure to look perfect, all the time. And that is humanly impossible.”
She further explained:
“It is seriously so difficult to do that. No one can do that. Even the most beautiful women in the world don't always look a certain way."
Spiranac went on to share her struggles in the past with body image issues. The influencer revealed that she had battled an eating disorder in college. She also acknowledged the role her body plays in her career as a content creator. The former golfer sounded introspective when she said that she must be “able to accept” the criticism she receives. She said:
"It's such a complex, difficult situation for me because my body is such a big part of my brand and my business. I have set it up that way, for right or wrong," she explained. "That is just how this has progressed. And so I know that my body will always be criticized, because I put it out there and I need to be able to accept that."
Spiranac's reply to mean comments
It is pertinent to note that this wasn’t Spiranac’s first response to the online comments on her body. In September 2022, Spiranac took to Instagram to share that she received a large number of comments over criticizing her body. She even pulled up some “mean” comments and revealed that she was hurt by them.
Paige Spiranac wrote:
"Honestly, the amount of men calling me 'fat' on this post is next level lol. I've had to delete so many comments which I almost never do."
Interestingly, Paige Spiranac later went on to accept her changing body image. The former golfer slammed the comments about her weight and said that she was "feeling the happiest," which was the reason for her alleged weight gain.