At Reebok's "Perfect Never" panel this week, there was —obviously—a lot of discussion about what it means to be perfect and why many celebrities, Gigi Hadid included, are throwing in the towel on that unreachable feat (which is actually a distraction from your real goals).
But among all of the panelists—which included the supermodel, Olympian Aly Raisman, and actresses Lena Dunham, Ruby Rose, and Zoe Kravitz—there was a common thread across all five's personal reason for struggling with body image, insecurities, and self-love. Two words: social media.
When asked what message they could send to the world, they all gave the same down-to-earth response. In addition to wishing they could block the haters and remind everyone in the world that, yes, they are in fact human beings, these five powerhouses just want to spread a message of love and kindness to everyone. (Collective high-five in agreement, everyone?)
Scroll down to see what these five celebrities wish you knew about social media.
Lena Dunham: Hating on social media is a waste of everyone's time
Dunham is no stranger to opening up on social media—whether it's to uncover the stigma around mental health or express her views on politics—and she loves the conversations and connections that are formed because of it. However, she does have her fair share of haters. After recounting a story of a girl who sent her a nasty direct message, Dunham explains that she responded back, explaining why she was going to block her: "I'm not blocking you because I don't like you, I'm blocking you because I don't think this is a good use of your time."
Gigi Hadid: Social media should be an incredible connection resource
As an avid believer of treating everyone with kindness and respect, Hadid gets fed up with people who are negative on social media. "The thing is, I love social media—it's such an incredible tool to connect with people across the world," she explains. "But those people who just put me down don't realize that they're taking away from what an incredible resource this could be for everyone." She hopes that practicing what she preaches will influence the haters, but until then, she resorts to digital detoxes when things get overwhelming.
Ruby Rose: We're all supposed to be different
Celebrities' social media feeds are filled with comments about how they're "trying to be like" another or "just trying to be different"—but Rose just doesn't understand why people are wasting their time. "The funny thing is people put each other down for [these reasons], but the amazing thing about being human is that we are literally nothing like anyone else—we are 100 percent unique and there is no one else like us at all in the entire world." She emphasizes that social media should be to celebrate those human beings for those differences—not put them down.
Zoe Kravitz: It takes strength to be kind
Although all of these women could easily take those hateful comments and turn them into anger or hatred, Kravitz recalls something her mother has always taught her—the most important part of being strong is being gentle, with yourself and others. "I get in these cycles because I'm mad about having a pimple, and then I'm mad because I'm mad about that, or someone was unkind to me and I go down this rabbit hole," she explains. "But part of staying strong and happy is reminding yourself that life is good and that everyone in the world could use a little kindness and softness—that's real strength."
Aly Raisman: That celebrities are people, too
"I don't know when it got to this point where people stopped treating celebrities and athletes in the spotlight as really people," she explained. "People seem to think that a mean comment won't affect us like it would affect someone else, but people should stop and think about what that comment would do to them if they read it on their own picture."
Celebrities are filled with wisdom—check out Lena Dunham's tips for kicking ass in the workplace—individually and as a group. And here's the buzzy wellness practice Kate Middleton uses to de-stress.
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