Remi Bader Responds To Online Speculation About Her Fitness Journey

Influencer Remi Bader has publicly asked online trolls to stop commenting on her appearance.

The 29-year-old social media star, who has gained 2.3 million followers on TikTok for her candid reviews of plus-size clothing, recently spoke out about speculation surrounding her weight loss transformation in an essay for Nylon.

In the essay, published in May, Bader explained how she began setting boundaries with her fans when it came to what she shares about her personal life online, especially amid an onslaught of body shaming from users.

“Every day I wake up and realize that I am lucky to do what I do and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. However, when you go online and choose not to set your own boundaries, whatever they may be, people get used to feeling like they are obligated to know every single detail about you,” Bader wrote. “Offering my entire life became the expectation. Viewers felt entitled and I felt beholden.”

While the plus-size model said how grateful she was to be part of a community that openly talks about body image, she soon realized that this was starting to negatively affect her mental health. “Today, I’m no longer in a place where I want my body and the state of my physical health to be the main topic,” she said. “That doesn’t mean I won’t choose to share about my body in the future, but for now, I feel like it’s best for me to put myself and my mental health first.”

Bader also acknowledged that critics may argue that negative comments “are part of the job” of being a social media influencer, but revealed that body shaming had contributed to her pattern of body image disorders.

“Seeing negative comments and messages every day about how much weight I was gaining (or losing) made me feel really bad about myself and contributed to a disorder I was trying to keep under control. That’s when I realized I needed to separate a little bit what is posted on the internet and what is left off,” she shared.

Unsurprisingly, Bader said she immediately felt “guilty” about her decision to share less about her health and fitness journey with her large social media following. “Was I neglecting an unwritten duty by not posting about certain topics? Was I abandoning people? Did I not deserve all the blessings I received from having this job if I abandoned these topics?” she recalled thinking.

Bader, who recently split from boyfriend Keyveat Postell after two years of dating, went on to share how documenting the breakup with her online community reinvented her relationship with TikTok.

“With this, and with the journey and lessons I’ve learned this year, I still plan to be my most authentic self online, but I’m putting more effort into putting my mental health first. To be clear, no matter what my body looks like, it will never change what I set out to do from the beginning: advocate for body inclusivity in the fashion and apparel industries. But for the sake of my own mental health, that’s where I’m drawing the line on that issue,” she continued.

“The fact that I was totally open about it when this online journey started is no longer my entire story. My body shape and size do not determine who I am as a person,” Bader said, before reiterating that she will no longer share “what I don’t want to share about my body and my health journey” on TikTok.

“By continuing like this, I hope to set an example and respect my own limits, and ultimately, I hope to do the same thing I have done from the beginning: to make a difference. Even if it means helping one person at a time,” she added.

Bader's personal essay was published amid speculation surrounding her recent weight loss transformation. Nylon In a post posted on Instagram, one user took to their Stories to claim that the influencer was “ignoring the elephant in the room” by refusing to respond to comments about her appearance. The user also posted a poll on their Instagram Story, asking if Bader “should be more transparent” with her followers.

The plus-size model appeared to take notice of the Instagram poll when she called speculation surrounding her weight “scary” and emphasized her decision to remain silent about her health journey.

“This is a reminder that you don’t owe ANYONE any details about your personal health journey. Especially when I’ve been criticized for gaining TOO much weight over the past three years and harassed daily for it, and still do,” Bader wrote on her own Instagram Story. “I guess anyone who feels like I owe them any kind of response for focusing on my mental and physical health didn’t read my post.” Nylon Article I wrote. Please take a moment and do it if you feel this way. I hope it helps you feel better and more comfortable.”

Bader's decision to keep details about his health private may not come as a surprise to some fans, considering he previously shared a tearful video slamming critics' “disgusting” comments.

In the emotional clip, which was posted to TikTok in September 2023, Bader acknowledged that she received a “ridiculous amount” of criticism about her body about “how much bigger I got and how much weight I gained and how unhealthy I look and whatever.”

While Bader initially believed it was “helpful” for her to share details about her diet and workout routines for people “going through similar struggles,” the TikTok star changed her mind following the recent body shaming.

“My journey to health is now going to be my business. What I choose to do, whether it’s gaining or losing weight, the medications I take, the supplements I take, my workout routine, whatever. I’m not going to share it,” she explained. “I don’t know why it’s allowed to be done online. Shaming someone and their appearance every day is so disgusting.”

The Victoria's Secret model also burst into tears, telling the camera: “It's so hard to see this every day and it's not fair to see really bad things. I'm taking care of myself the best I can.”

Bader once again pleaded with social media users to “stop commenting on my body because I'm doing everything I can to feel better.”

“I'm not going to share more with you. It's just my decision,” she concluded the candid video.