Gigi Hadid slams body shamers: 'Learn to have more empathy'

Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Gigi Hadid responded to critics of her changing weight on Twitter stating that her skinny physique was related to having Hashimoto's disease and that despite her weight loss she is perfectly healthy.

Hadid was slammed for her fluctuating weight by commenters on social media after walking the catwalk at Jeremy Scott's fall and winter show on Thursday and the Bottega Veneta show on Friday during New York Fashion Week.

"For those of you so determined to come up w why my body has changed over the years, you may not know that when I started @ 17 I was not yet diagnosed w/Hashimoto's disease; those of u who called me "too big for the industry" were seeing inflammation & water retention due to that," the model said Sunday to kick-off her lengthy response to body shamers.

"Over the last few years I've been properly medicated to help symptoms including those, as well as extreme fatigue, metabolism issues, body's ability to retain heat, etc ... I was also part of a holistic medical trial that helped my thyroid levels balance out," she continued.

"Although stress & excessive travel can also affect the body, I have always eaten the same, my body just handles it differently now that my health is better. I may be "too skinny" for u, honestly this skinny isn't what I want to be, but I feel healthier internally and still learning and growing with my body everyday, as everyone is," Hadid said.

After stating that she was done explaining the way her body looks, Hadid called on commentators to use social media for a better purpose.

"Please, as social media users & human beings in general, learn to have more empathy for others and know that you never really know the whole story. Use your energy to lift those that you admire rather than be cruel to those u don't," she said.

Hadid received support on Twitter from fellow models Christine Teigen, Kendall Jenner and Ruby Rose.

"Sorry you too have to explain something so ridiculous to people," Rose said in response to one of Hadid's tweets. "Love to you. Love to the people who try to tear down others also because they are just people who haven't had the spiritual growth that needs to occur to love and accept one another."