Yahoo Lifestyle 
Bikini designer Karina Irby hits back at body-shaming 'Karen'
Australian bikini designer Karina Irby has ousted a body-shaming ‘Karen’ after she told her to lose some weight in a scathing message.
The Moana Bikini founder, who has 1.1 million followers on the social media site, is very open about her journey with eczema on her page, regularly uploading pictures when she has breakouts in an effort to educate her followers on the condition.
However, one woman decided to send Karina some unwarranted advice on treating the skin condition, telling her that maybe shedding some pounds might help.
“Hey Karina, I used to follow you but haven’t for a while not..just had a look back on here. I’m not trying to be rude but I feel like all your skin issues etc. may have started when you started putting on weight,” the woman wrote to Karina on Instagram messenger.
She went on to say: “Maybe try and lose some weight and see if it lessens a little bit for you? Can only try hun x”
Karina hit back, calling the woman a ‘Karen’ and saying that she was born with these skin conditions.
“It’s only over the past few years I’ve felt comfortable sharing my journey,” shw wrote.
“Then people like you pop up and remind me why I enjoy exposing myself so comfortably.
“Because it’s people like you that make people like us feel like they have to feel ashamed, embarrassed and cover ourselves up. I’m proud to say I’m strong enough now to say NO and kindly SHUT UP.”
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Karina’s followers couldn’t believe the audacity of the woman, writing: “The actual nerve of some people.”
“Yeah. No skinny girls have problematic skin,” another person wrote.
It’s not the first time Karina has been forced to stand up for herself against body-shamers.
Back in February, Karina was forced to respond after an elderly woman called her fat at the shopping centre.
The influencer told Yahoo Lifestyle she was shopping with her mother-in-law at Pacific Fair Shopping Centre on the Gold Coast when the woman made a beeline for her.
“We were literally standing, waiting and having a chat when we noticed an elderly lady basically bee-lining it towards us and begin talking to us… well, me in particular,” Karina said.
The woman proceeded to say to Karina: “When I was your age and if I had a bum like you, I definitely wouldn’t have worn that (workout leggings) in public and I suggest you cover up your big bum and think twice about what you wear in public.”
Karina was so shocked she actually had to say “I beg your pardon, what did you say?” to the elderly woman, who again told Karina her attire was inappropriate.
“She had actually wandered on off before I had even comprehended what she said or thought of something to say back. But others who were waiting near us heard the whole thing and actually came up to see if I was okay and to tell me that what I was wearing was totally fine.”
Karina, who is the owner of Moana Bikini said the shopping centre has a gym attached to it and is in “one of the most outdoorsy and active locations in the country.”
“I think that we all definitely found it quite shocking that someone could be shocked and offended at someone wearing workout clothes… no matter the size of their rear end,” she said.
Karina understands that there are generational differences however, when it comes to manners and common decency, she doesn’t think there are any generational differences there.
“I think the age-old ‘if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all’ can and should still apply,” she said.
While Karina does have a ‘thick skin’ from being so influential on social media, she said she was ‘quite embarrassed’ after the incident and it did briefly make her feel self-conscious and unsure of herself.
“I think the biggest difference to this happening in real life, when compared to all the gross, mean comments you can get online, is that I didn’t have any chance to draft a response or reply in my head, nor did anyone else, and we all just kind of stood there in shock as she wandered on off. Quite funny, really,” Karina said.
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