Nick Viall is one of the most well-known "Bachelor" alums. He was on "The Bachelorette" twice, joined the "Bachelor in Paradise" crew for a season, and then went on to be "The Bachelor's" lead on season 21. While he has fallen in love numerous times, none of his appearances within the "Bachelor" franchise have resulted in a lasting relationship. That being said, these appearances have made him a prominent figure within Bachelor Nation, podcast (of course) included.
As "The Bachelor: Greatest Seasons — Ever!" is now airing in place of Clare Crawley's delayed "Bachelorette" season, we are once again seeing Nick in Kaitlyn Bristowe's re-run. Before his heartbreaking public break-up was aired (again), Nick made light of his reality TV life in an Instagram post.
Nick's lighthearted photo immediately took a dark turn as his followers began to comment on his weight. Phrases like "90 lbs soaking wet," "so thin you need a burger," and "please gain weight" soon filled up the post's comment section. These comments continued to roll in as the evening went on.
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Just because someone has made their life available for our viewing pleasure does not mean their weight — whether it's increased, decreased, or stayed the same — is open for public debate. Body-shaming is never ok and many of us can, unfortunately, relate to the self-consciousness that follows comments about our appearance. While it can be tempting to laugh something off or pretend a stinging remark didn't actually hurt, what's more important is addressing the harm that comments like these cause. Nick posted another photo today.
While Nick clearly has a grasp on how to use his platform for necessary conversations, the internet as a whole cannot always expect everyone who is body-shamed to speak up in this way. It's hard to admit hurt — many feel the weight of body-shaming but fear that addressing it will only fuel the fire that is internet comments. That's when responsibility falls on the rest of us, to hold one another accountable for insensitive, often oblivious remarks that are made. That means not immediately picking apart how much someone's thighs have changed or dissing someone for going "too far" in a weight loss journey. That means understanding that we DON'T know the full story behind someone's weight, even if that person's life is, in many aspects, incredibly public.
If you are, for whatever reason, still at a loss for why you cannot make someone else's weight your business, just practice what moms all over the world have been teaching their children for years. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
