A viral comment about American actress Elle Fanning's body at the 2026 Golden Globes has reignited the debate on fatphobia, body shaming, and the unfair beauty standards imposed on women. On a video of the actress, an internet user wrote, "Women are getting fat," triggering a wave of online outrage.
A comment that set the internet ablaze
Many users reacted immediately, ridiculing the author of the message and denouncing the gratuitous cruelty directed at a woman's body. Some people responded with cutting remarks like , "Did your chicken thighs post this?" , highlighting the irony of the critic who presumes to judge another's appearance.
Others wrote , "Men are getting smaller," turning the stigma back on those who comment on women's bodies as if it were a legitimate public topic. This reversal highlights just how hurtful remarks about physical appearance can be.
women are getting bigger pic.twitter.com/km2A5Zg63e
— Joseph 🕊️ (@CaudilloXIV) January 13, 2026
Profoundly unfair beauty standards
This controversy primarily illustrates how unfair beauty standards remain for women. They are constantly evaluated, judged, and commented on regarding their weight, figure, or age, often far more than their talent or work. Social media amplifies this phenomenon by providing a platform for anonymous critics who feel entitled to comment on every detail of the female body.
In addition to perpetuating an unrealistic image of the "ideal" body, these standards create constant pressure: not to gain weight, not to age, not to change. This type of remark— "Women are getting fat" —reduces women to their appearance, as if their worth depended on a number on the scale or a dress size.
When the internet responds and defends itself
This comment caused outrage, in part because a large number of internet users now refuse to let this kind of statement go unanswered. The ironic responses and criticisms of the message demonstrate a growing awareness: it is no longer acceptable to treat women's bodies as objects of constant public judgment.
In this type of controversy, social media becomes a space for solidarity, where many defend the targeted individual and denounce double standards. It's a reminder that bodies change, that every body type deserves respect, and that no stranger behind a screen has the right to decree who is "too" this or "not enough" that.
The controversy surrounding this comment about Elle Fanning demonstrates how a single sentence can encapsulate an entire system of unjust norms imposed on women. By reducing an actress to "Women are getting fat," the internet user reveals the normalized violence of the way the female body is viewed. The outraged reactions, however, indicate a shift: more and more people are rejecting these injunctions and denouncing body shaming.
