BUFF

Sarah Michelle Gellar Criticized for Instagram ‘Reminder Not to Overeat’ at Thanksgiving

The actress joked she would be pinning pictures from an old shoot around the house to deter her from gluttony. Not everyone was amused.

Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar has been criticized after posting an old picture of herself on a lingerie shoot for a men’s magazine and joking she would be pinning the picture around her house as a reminder not to overeat during Thanksgiving.

The actress, best known for her role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, now runs a website that promotes and sells supplies for healthy baking alternatives for kids. But she was hit with criticism by some online commenters for the remarks, over fears they could be triggering for people with eating disorders.

One wrote, “Please consider rewording this… This post is a great way to trigger people’s eating disorders,” while another called the caption “pretty sad and disappointing.”

Others criticized the caption by saying it could be “harmful” to people with eating disorders and body dysmorphia.

Ironically, in 2011, Gellar gave an interview to Health.com in which she was asked, “If you were ever to put a famous woman’s body on your fridge for inspiration, whose would it be?”

Gellar replied: “I would never do that to myself, especially because I’m aware of the airbrushing and trainers and food programs. You have to use yourself as inspiration. I think if I were ever going to put something up, I would put a picture of myself where I was proud of my body. But I would rather not look at a picture of myself on my fridge.”

Gellar added, “I think when I was doing Buffy I was a little bit thin, actually, because even though I was working out constantly, it was just the time and the age.”

Many of Gellar’s fans have been quick to leap to her defense Tuesday, saying that “not overeating” at Thanksgiving was indeed a reasonable and healthy ambition, and one she should not be criticized for.  

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Tom SykesEuropean Editor at Large

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.