Meet Arielle Charnas — The Influencer Amanda Seyfried Slammed For Promoting Unhealthy Body Image
She says Seyfried "thin-shamed" her.
Instagram Amanda Seyfried is an outspoken advocate for body acceptance. This week she tangled with a social media influencer over the subject. After calling out Arielle Charnas of Something Navy on questions of privilege and realistic body image expectations, Charnas is accusing the actress of bullying and “thin-shaming.”
What is going on with the feud between the Hollywood star and the social media maven? Read on to learn all the details. Who is Arielle Charnas?
1. Charnas
Arielle Charnas started as a fashion blogger with her website Something Navy in 2009. Her About page says, “Hi and welcome to Something Navy, an online destination which is carefully curated to provide you with inspiring, engaging, and relatable content. Our founder, Arielle Charnas, started Something Navy as a fashion blog in 2009 and has since become a leader in the influencer space. Launching her namesake label in the Fall of 2018, she continues to develop and evolve her digitally-native, lifestyle brand.” Charnas works with nationally known brands such as Tresemme and her line of clothing is produced in partnership with Nordstrom. She has over a million followers on Instagram, where she posts photos of herself and her family, as well as promoting her own and other brands.
Charnas and family.
2. Post
In a recent post, she photographed herself from the neck down in a bikini, adding the caption “Proud of my body after two kids.” The conversation in the comments got heated at times, with some fans asking Charnas for her fitness and diet tips and others suggesting that Charnas has an advantage when it comes to fitness in that she has the time and money to devote to working on her body.
This post led to controversy.
3. Comment
One of Amanda Seyfried's friends saw the post in question and had some choice thoughts about it. According to US Weekly, she left this comment, “Totally fine that you’re privileged and thin, good for you (I am too-ish!). ...BUT if you don’t acknowledge how your wealth made your workouts/body possible, you’re just perpetuating the patriarchal (totally unrealistic) notion that mothers should ‘bounce back’ after childbirth, an impossibility for anyone who can’t afford ample childcare (which is almost everyone in this country).” She also noted that Charnas was “glorifying an unhealthy body image” and called the influencer emaciated.
The full comment led Charnas to block both women.
4. Amplification
Seyfried wasted no time amplifying her friend’s message. The Mean Girls actress took to her own feed with a screenshot of the comment and added “My very smart friend (again-not tagging) wrote this on a semi-influencer’s feed and she blocked both of us (even though I didn’t tag her-at least she’s getting the message). If we’re ready to get paid for flaunting our lifestyle (and inspiring some in the meantime) we have to be open to the discussions surrounding what we’re promoting. We have to back ourselves up — not run away from the issues it presents. There are gray areas everywhere. Each of us has a chance to back ourselves — especially on this platform. If you know who you are — take a second to decide if what you’re throwing out there is worth it — in the big picture.” Seyfried made a point of not using names, tags, or other callouts. But Charna evidently figured out the whole situation and hit the block button on both women.
5. Bullying?
Charnas also claimed that Seyfriend was being a bully and “thin-shaming” her. Seyfried, who has often spoken about positive body image issues in the past, responded to the accusation with yet another Instagram post, saying “To all who feel bullied or thin-shamed during our recent social media discussion: If you know me or are familiar with any of my beliefs or stances you’ll recognize that it isn’t in my character to tear down anyone for “being who they are.” Each of us has the ability and the freedom to say and do as we choose.”
She went on to write, “However, as I’m acutely aware, there’s a price tag for the group of people who find themselves with a platform to stand on. You have to be aware of the message you’re sending and be able to back it up when faced with criticism (not just praise). Hold yourselves accountable instead of using the terms above. The only thing I’d take back is exactly how I started this debate. I desperately wish it hadn’t targeted (or blasted) one person (there are MANY who engage in this questionable messaging) and instead started a cleaner, general conversation. No one needs to tear anyone apart. And I regret that it’s present right now. To the lady in question: I’m sorry for the truly negative feels you’ve endured because of this. Aside from the messy detour? The bigger, important message seems to filtering through and helping a lot of women feel supported. And that’s the name of the game.”
Seyfried apologized for the argument but not for what she said.
Charnas has not responded to Seyfried’s latest post.
Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. Her work has been seen at Ravishly, Babble, Scary Mommy, The Mid, Redbook online, and The Broad Side. She is the creator of the blog Stay at Home Pundit and she is a cohost of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.