Sara Sampaio Graciously Fires Back At Jezebel's Erin Gloria Ryan

Victoria’s Secret model Sara Sampaio sent a candid, confrontational message to Jezebel’s Erin Gloria Ryan regarding the short but attention-getting headline about her: Helpful Victoria’s Secret Reminder: Even Models Hate Themselves. 

Ryan’s post was in response to a brief video message by Sara Sampaio that addresses to what many have called online bullying about her very thin physique. Can we ALL take a time out please!!!

Where Jezebel gets off saying that Sampaio’s comments reflect the reality that even models hate themselves is headline-grabbing poppycock. NOTHING in Sara Sampaio’s brief comments suggest that pseudo-psychologist Ryan is watching the same video that I am. Note that I am fast to criticize Victoria’s Secret, but this is not one of those moments. 

For background on this rather absurd, body-image, ping pong match, Victoria’s Secret was recently criticized for their ‘Perfect Body’ campaign. Your truly signed the petition calling out my former alma mater for their tone-deaf campaign that undermined women’s body confidence. VS pulled the campaign, renamed it and released a few short videos — Sara Sampaio’s being one — talking about her body shape being different from Candice Swanepoel’s. Hence the curvy-hands motion — a gesture that I’ve made more than once in life talking about other women. 

Sara Sampaio then fired back at Ryan with her own confidant-woman moxie. Sampaio projects far more diplomacy and restraint than Jezebel has demonstrated in a lifetime:

“I think sites like Jezebel have been great for women’s rights. I wouldn’t take my reaction to that one bad article as a sign that I dislike Jezebel.  One article doesn’t represent all the great work they have done. They just took a short video clip, that was part of a much larger interview, and used it to try to twist my words and make a point. I’m over it. I just think that as women we need to support each other and not try to bring each other down. It goes beyond women and feminism, but to all society.”

Addressing Erin Gloria Ryan directly, Sampaio also writes:

Dear Erin from Jezebel, I don’t hate myself! I was actually taught by my family to respect and love myself and indeed others! I feel sorry that you were not able to see beyond your own self-serving interest to sensationalise a story, by creating a negative spin on a positive message and making a foregone conclusion about a young ‘model’ you have never met before!

I have a lot of young girls that look up to me as a young woman and role model. I have been criticised for being too skinny and judged purely on my looks. I have been vocal because I believe that as women we are all beautiful and no matter what we look like we deserve to respect ourselves and be respected and loved by others. The title of your article states that I hate myself, on the contrary I love myself as I am. I can also look at another woman and admire her beauty. In fact, I admire the beauty of many women from all areas of life, not only Candice’s. It doesn’t mean I want to look like them because I am happy the way I am, the way my mother and father brought me into this world, and who I am today and who I will be in the future. 

You are a beautiful young woman, please love yourself and don’t judge other women that you don’t know. As women we need to stand together. We are judged and objectified often enough by men. Here is to your feminism.

Love, Sara.

To the best of my knowledge, a this-minute search of Jezebel indicates that all is quiet on the Eastern front. Stay tuned … but THINK before you open your mouth Erin. Even you are capable of a teaching moment at the hands of Sara Sampaio. ~ Anne