Plus-Size Model Surprised by ‘Rude’ Comment About Her Weight. Now She’s Calling Out the ‘Internalized’ Fatphobia (Exclusive)

Charlotte Phillipp, Hedy PhillipsThu, October 8, 2026 at 9:30 AM UTC

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Austen WhibleyCredit: Jakub Koziel; courtesy Austen Whibley -

In a TikTok that has since garnered more than 100,000 views, model Austen Whibley opened up about a stranger’s rude comments on her weight while she was on her way to a New York Fashion Week casting call

Speaking with PEOPLE, Whibley shared that the interaction “came off as incredibly rude and judgmental — especially from a stranger”

The model and softball coach shared that she hopes to encourage women to reject societal pressures and embrace their bodies without tolerating unsolicited opinions

One plus-size model is speaking out after she says she was criticized by a stranger for her weight.

In a TikTok that has now garnered more than 180,000 views, model Austen Whibley opened up about one of the “rudest interactions” she’s ever experienced — and the entire situation unfolded as she was waiting for an elevator to arrive.

According to Whibley, she was on her way to her last of several New York Fashion Week casting calls for the day when a woman approached her in the lobby of an office building, asking why she had missed the elevator.

“This woman comes over to me and is like, ‘You missed it. Why? Because you’re lazy?” the Washington D.C.-based model shared, explaining that she replied to the woman, “No, [it’s] because I had a knee injury in college.”

“It closed on me, what do you want me to do?” she said of the unusual encounter. “She proceeds to pull up her skirt and show me this scar on her knee.”

“That’s not even the worst part,” she continued. “She’s telling me to get these orthotics because they’re cheaper than surgery. I was like, ‘I’ve been to the doctor. I’m fine, stop talking to me.’”

According to Whibley, the situation became even worse when the woman “gave me the up and down eyes and goes, ‘By the way, lose weight.’”

“Have we forgotten that it’s so incredibly rude to comment on people’s weights?” she questioned. “...This woman, I could tell she thought she was genuinely giving me advice, but I was so irritated with her.”

Whibley shared that she gave the woman a blunt response just as the elevator doors opened again.

“‘F--- off,’” she said. “I’m a full-time model, and I’m perfectly healthy. I walked Fashion Week last year exactly the size I was — a size 16 — for Nike, Skims, Savage x Fenty... you name it, I have done it.”

“PSA to leave plus size people alone!!!!” she captioned the clip.

Speaking with PEOPLE about the encounter, Whibley says that the woman’s first comment caught her “off guard,” as she couldn’t tell if it was a joke or not “until she followed up with ‘lose weight.’”

“She told me she was a registered dietitian and regardless of whether that was true or not, it came off as incredibly rude and judgmental, especially from a stranger,” the model shares. “I’m someone who doesn’t really process absurd comments like that until I’ve had a moment to sit with it, and that day my mind was more focused on getting to the designer I was casting for rather than lowering myself to engage with her.”

Austen WhibleyCredit: Jakub Koziel

Whibley also shared that prior to her modeling career, she was an athlete for 14 years and was a four-year starting pitcher in softball at Kenyon College. During her junior year, she subluxated her patella, meaning she partially dislocated her kneecap, twice in the span of one month.

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“Because it happened right before the start of my junior campaign, my coaches were eager to get me rehabbed quickly, but I was cleared too soon and reinjured my knee a few weeks later,” she explains, sharing that she eventually was able to recover and finish out her junior and senior seasons.

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Whibley, who works as a softball coach at schools and private training facilities, shared that being a successful athlete before she became a model helped her gain some self-confidence.

“I already had a deep understanding and appreciation of what my body, a size 16, could do rather than only finding value in my appearance,” she says, explaining that many of the issues she faces when it comes to being a plus-sized model in the industry.

“Most things I notice are more discreet — like being the only curve model on set, or brands having trouble finding pieces that fit properly more so than overt comments,” she shares. “So when it comes to issues like a brand only offering XS to XL sizing or a backhanded comment, I already know the issue is with them and not me. It’s hard to shake confidence based on a proven track record of success.”

In her TikTok post, Whibley shared in a comment that the woman who approached her with this statement was also plus-sized — something that didn’t surprise her at all.

“I think the majority of people hold bits of internalized (or in this case external) fatphobia whether they want to admit that to themselves or not, and it makes people angry to see women who are healthy and either have no urge to be thin and/or don’t hate themselves for it,” she shares.

Although Whibley — who has also modeled for brands including Sephora and Target — didn’t end up on the runway for Fashion Week this past season, she’s still looking forward to the rest of the year.

“There were tons of new curve faces debuting this season, and I got in the room with a lot of important faces and designers for upcoming projects and that alone is amazing,” she says of this year’s shows.

“I’ve been at this for five years now and learned quickly that just because things may be quiet for a moment, it doesn’t mean things aren’t happening behind the scenes,” Whibley shares. “I was released from a job this time last year that I really wanted, but that opened up availability for me to debut at NYFW for Collina Strada SS26. I always believe that everything, good and bad, is ultimately working for your higher good.”

According to the model, she hopes anyone who heard about her encounter can feel confident about their own bodies and shares a piece of advice.

“You don’t owe anyone an explanation about the decisions you make pertaining to your body,” Whibley says. “Why people gain or lose weight is not anyone’s business nor is it indicative of someone’s health, especially when going off of assumptions.”

“I want women to know that they don’t have to tolerate others’ projections and opinions, and that you can have the dream life, career, relationship, etc.,” she adds, “without trying to cram yourself into a mold that was never meant to accommodate anyone in the first place.”

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”