Stephanie Pratt Posted Pics Of Heidi Pratt's 'Baby Bump'––But She's Not Pregnant

I want to say a hearty FUCK YOU to Hills-alum Stephanie Pratt after the body-shaming bullshit she pulled this week, and I need you to know that I’m not saying it as a rabid “Speidi” fan. I haven’t kept up with their lives after The Hills. They might be the embodiment of the giving spirit of Mother Teresa or they might really suck. It doesn’t change my opinion on the latest situation that has caught the attention of nearly everyone with an Instagram account.

I’m repulsed by Stephanie Pratt’s display of assholery.

It’s not because of who she directed her venom to, but because I am a decent human being who just can’t stand by and watch body shame happen without speaking up. Ever. No matter who it’s directed at.

I guess I should tell you what happened. In case you missed it, Stephanie Pratt decided to use her IG story to post photos of her brother, Spencer, and his wife, Heidi, at the beach. (As far I can tell from my not-that-extensive research, they’re actually estranged and rarely-if-ever talk to one another. I found a quote where Stephanie called Heidi and Spencer “evil,” and Spencer has said similar stuff about her, so like, why is she posting about them at all? Who has time for this bullshit? But that sibling drama is not my area of expertise, nor is it the point of this particular conversation.)

The caption Stephanie chose for a photo of Heidi in a bikini was, “Yay Heidi’s pregnant! I hope she has a little girl this time. Cute bump.”

As if it’s not vicious enough to comment on someone’s body, Heidi has been pretty open about her desire for a second child for a couple of years now. If she isn’t pregnant yet, that could mean it’s not happening as quickly as she hoped it might. It could also mean they’ve put it on hold or changed their minds. Frankly, it’s none of our business, but for her sister-in-law to mock her by saying she looks pregnant when she isn’t (but has said she wants to be)? That adds an extra layer of gross to this whole thing.

She also went on to post a photo of Spencer shirtless, making the joke, “I wonder what my brother’s having.”

Oh, Stephanie. So clever! Body shaming! So creative! So HILARIOUS!

Speidi fans alerted them that Stephanie was announcing Heidi’s pregnancy before they could, and that’s when Spencer replied to a fan saying, “Heidi is not pregnant. Just being body shamed.”

I could talk about Heidi and Spencer’s bodies specifically, but the fact is, whatever they look like, this is just not okay. Especially coming from a family member, regardless of the strain on the relationship.

In order to be mean and cause emotional harm to someone she is on the outs with, Stephanie Pratt decided to attack the way their bodies look.

Why did she do that?

Well, I assume she’s just not very nice or creative as a general rule, but she did it for the same reasons so many other people do it every single day. Body shame is low-hanging fruit. It’s one of the few remaining kinds of verbal abuse that we kind of let slide as a society.

In this case, since it’s celebrities being insulted, people will say they asked for this. They’ll use their public figure status, Heidi’s past with plastic surgery, or the way they’ve acted before to say they deserve it.

Fuck that. If they’re shitty people (and again, I have no clue about that because I only know what I’ve looked up in the last couple days) they’re not shitty because of how their bodies look. I honestly don’t give a shit if Heidi and Spencer are kind and gentle or two walking nightmares. Body shaming is abuse, and nobody deserves it.

I said the same thing when people made fat jokes and death wishes about Donald Trump and Chris Christie when they both got COVID last winter.

I have no love for Donnie or Chris, but it’s not because of their weight or anything about their appearances. It’s because of choices they have made, opinions they hold, and policies they support. Hitler wasn’t a monster because he had weird taste in facial hair. Kim Jong Un isn’t despicable because of his weight or his haircut.

If you want to call out someone for being racist, xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic, classist, ableist or anything else that is truly despicable, I am on board. I am all about compelling people to be better, even if it means calling them to the carpet.

But the minute the conversation moves into body shame, you’re out of bounds. Your argument loses its validity. If you want to demonstrate that someone else is actively choosing to be a harmful person, there should be plenty of evidence. You shouldn’t need to attack their appearance.

It’s never okay to body shame anybody for any reason. I don’t care if someone is a celebrity or a regular person, thin or fat, conventionally attractive or not. If you stoop to the point of body shame, you suck.