Agnes Hedengard, a 19-year-old Swedish model, said in a YouTube video posted this week that she was told she is “too big” for the fashion industry. She said that she had been told that her butt was too big and her hips too wide.
The model posted her video on Monday and it has since garnered over 1 million views. She shows herself standing before a mirror, wearing just a bikini to show her body.
“I have worked as a model for about five years now, but up to this day I don't get any more jobs since the industry thinks I'm too big,” she told viewers. “They think this is too big.”
She then points to her behind and hips. “They think my butt is too big and the thing my hips are too wide,” she said.
As People notes, Hedengard said that she is 5’11” and has a body mass index of 17.5. That’s technically considered “underweight” by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Hedengard did say that she has received calls from agencies, only to be rejected when she sends them her measurements. She called the standards “absurd.”
“I hate it and I just want other people to see this. Love yourself, don't let anyone tell you anything different,” she said.
Hedengard has over 30,000 followers on Instagram, where she has posted over 300 photos. Today, she posted a photo to celebrate hitting 1 million views on her YouTube video.
“I'm crying. My video about the body ideal just reached 1M views on YouTube. You guys are truly amazing. Thank you,” she wrote. “Love yourself and never let anyone change who you are. Okay I'm gonna continue to cry happy tears bye.”
Here’s her video:
screenshot from YouTube video