Influencer Addresses Critics Who Say She Took ‘Easy Way Out’ With Weight Loss Surgery

Remi Bader doesn’t care what anyone has to say about her decision to lose weight with the assistance of surgery. The influencer, 30, revealed she underwent bariatric surgery in December 2023.

She recently showcased a series of compiled videos of her attempting leg raise exercises at the gym. In the video, she noted she took the videos two days before the operation.

Her video posted on Monday, April 14, continued with a clip of her working out three months post surgery, and the final footage featured her most recently. Of course, there’s tons of criticism over the fashion influencer’s choice. “Don’t let anyone ever tell you surgery is the easy way out. I worked hard to get here and i’m forever proud of myself 🩷,” she captioned her video.

Speaking with SELF, she admitted it wasn’t an easy decision to undergo surgery as she’s publicly prided herself on being plus sized. “I loved being curvy my whole life; I just did. It was who I was… I will always believe that you could be a bigger size and be healthy and happy,” she told the outlet, as reported by PEOPLE. “I was for a while, that wasn’t a lie. But there was a point when it shifted, and I became really unhappy.”

She dealt with a depressive episode following the surgery, but is adjusting to her new size. “I was lost with my identity before … I wasn’t big enough at first and plus-size enough at first for the plus-size community. Then I became too big … for some brands even to work with,” she told the outlet. “Now I’m too small? I actually don’t know where I’m supposed to be.”

Bader became popular on TikTok for her “realistic hauls” where she tried on clothes and openly discussed body image and dieting. She’s also been candid about binge eating and dealing with an eating disorder.