Dancing with the Stars host Julianne Hough responded to body-shaming comments after she posted a playful Instagram video of her enjoying her spa day clad in a snakeskin-patterned bikini.
The video, posted on September 29, showed the affable TV personality and dancer bumping and grinding in the sauna with a red light therapy mask on, taking a cold plunge after, and leaping about on a trampoline.
It was all in the spirit of silliness and being carefree.
Here is her "Sunday Spa Day" video.
It didn't take long for trolls to make assumptions about the 36-year-old's physical well-being and offer unsolicited advice.
@juleshough/Instagram
"I'm concerned. Are you ok?" asked a commenter while another wrote:
"She needs to eat some milkshakes and cheeseburgers."
@juleshough/Instagram
Hough addressed the suggestion she eat higher calorie foods by posting on her Instagram story a photo of her eating a cheeseburger.
"And for those telling me to eat a cheeseburger…This was on Sept 17th the premiere date of DWTS!" she wrote in the text overlay.
@juleshough/Instagram
But she wasn't done.
She commented on her post with the following, saying she doesn't "usually address comments like this" but wished to "say a few things about [the] video."
Hough explained that her black hat was a "protective cap from the heat"—or banya hat—to prevent the sun from burning her hair, and that the red light therapy was "incredible" for killing two birds with one stone while in the sauna.
She added that the spa day routine, consisting of a sauna, cold plunge, and jumping, was for her "lymphatic system, which promotes lymphatic drainage" to protect the body from disease and infection.
"Being in a bikini is the best outfit for these activities especially in this order," she said, adding that "my body has never been healthier - I was full of inflammation in my 20s and had a marker for an autoimmune that I addressed and committed to over a year and a half ago."
Hough continued:
"I’ve frozen my eggs over the last few years which also shifts the body fluctuation. I’ve never been healthier or happier from the inside out. Grief, loss. Sadness and fear also get stored in the body and we hold on to that in different ways."
"I made it a huge priority to accept, express, process and release a lot of emotions over the years."
"This playful side of me is the most authentic version. I saw somewhere that when kids are the most playful and can be the most strange and weird versions of themselves it means they are the safest to do so."
"My playful goofy side is a reflection of how safe I feel in my own skin and with the people around me. Everyone who is close to me knows this side of me means I am the most free in judgement of myself and from others."
She endeavored to "continue feeling safe" within herself despite the negative comments and enjoy life "which can be really heavy and challenging."
Hough concluded with:
"So why not be playful and laugh and enjoy the journey instead of taking everything so seriously."
"Sending love, light and playful energy your way 💕"
Many came to her defense by shutting down critics.
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Keep shining bright and continue being authentically you, Jules!
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