Sarah Hyland claps back at body-shaming comments about her Oscars after-party look

Sarah Hyland is once again defending herself from criticism about her weight.

The Modern Family star, who has been vocal about her battle with kidney dysplasia and its effects on her body, was targeted by online trolls after posting a red carpet photo from the Vanity Fair Oscar Party to Instagram.

The 27-year-old actress wore a gold Ermanno Scervino gown paired with oversize Lorraine Schwartz earrings and a #TimesUp pin for the occasion, but her followers couldn’t stop fixating on her weight. Many accused Hyland, who underwent a kidney transplant in 2012, of being underweight and “bony.”

“Ew put on sum [sic] weight,” read the very first comment, kicking off a free-for-all that included remarks like “looking like a skeleton with a stick stuck up your bony a**.”

Some commenters claimed to be taking a “tough love” approach, suggesting that Hyland might have an eating disorder and need an intervention. Others said her slim figure was setting an unhealthy example for her young fans.

“I understand how insulting it can be when people assume you’re sick when you’re thin,” wrote one so-called supporter. “But please actually take it on board. You do look scarily and sickly thin for your body type. Your cheeks are hollow, babe.”

“To feel beautiful is one of the most important feelings, but this is neither healthy nor a good ideal for young girls,” added another.

“Hun you don’t even look like yourself, at all,” chimed in a commenter. “If I didn’t read your caption I would’ve bet money this wasn’t you. Here’s a lil’ tough love for you — you look sickly, you look like an anorexic whose cheeks are sunken in. You are drop-dead gorgeous, but no one is gorgeous when they have the stick-thin body of a 8-year-old girl. Sorry. … If I looked like her, I’d certainly want someone to tell me the truth. She looks sick, she needs help, and clearly she is oblivious to that.”

But Hyland wasn’t oblivious to these body-shaming comments. She quickly edited her caption to make good use of the middle-finger emoji and call out her critics.

Fans flooded Hyland’s mentions with messages of support.

“People who feel the need to put someone down clearly are not happy with themselves and are jealous of how gorgeous and how much you have achieved,” read one response. “Keep being you!! You have not hidden the fact you have had some health issues; regardless you don’t have to defend yourself to anyone ever.”

“People can be this thin and healthy,” another fan wrote. “Having said that, I don’t feel @sarahhyland looks ‘bone-thin’ anyway. I am as thin as, if not thinner than her, and without the ill health issues. The skinny shaming is disappointing, if unsurprising. It’s good that people are coming to Sarah’s defense by pointing out she has health issues, but this also kinda misses the point. Skinny people don’t have to prove they have a legitimate reason for being thin. Some people just ARE. And they’re allowed to feel good about it.”

“Sarah I know the weight struggle all too well and I deal with stupid comments all the time from ableist pieces of shit who don’t comprehend what it’s like to have your body attacking you from the inside out,” read another message. “Nor do they have the strength to handle it. Thank you for being you. You are beautiful.”

Hyland has had to address her weight and accusations of being anorexic many times in the past. In 2017 she wrote a lengthy Instagram post calling out “bullies” and explaining that her face was swollen due to prednisone injections, and her doctor’s orders to not exercise had caused a loss of muscle mass.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• Lupita Nyong’o, Meryl Streep, and Laura Dern rock the most surprising accessory at the Oscars

• Sarah Silverman’s not too glam to do a pit check on the red carpet

• Paris Jackson stuns in sexy Disney-inspired look at the 2018 Oscars party

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