- Kelly Ripa's husband, Mark Consuelos, recently posted photos of her in a string bikini during a tropical vacation.
- Ripa then posted a shirtless photo of Consuelos.
- While Consuelos was praised for his shirtless picture, Rips was criticized for wearing revealing clothing at 47.
- Ripa's shaming highlights both ageism and sexism in receptions of body image.
Kelly Ripa is no stranger to Instagram "trolls," who delight in attacking everything from her thinness to her makeup. Unfortunately, this week's installment of body-shaming comes hand-in-hand with a storied Hollywood tradition: ageism.
Ripa's husband, Mark Consuelos, recently posted photos of his wife in a string bikini — one on his Instagram feed and the other on his story.
"Sultry Sundays with the sexy one are my fave," he captioned one post.
Many commenters agreed with Consuelos that Ripa appears to be in amazing shape— but others criticized her decision to wear revealing clothing at 47 years old.
"Kelly's gorgeous, but isn't there a cutoff age where age-appropriateness comes into play? Just because you can rock a bikini, doesn't mean you should," one person commented. "When you have teenagers whose friends can oggle pictures, then it's creepy."
"There are those who do tire of 'showing off' at your age," wrote another, adding the eyeroll emoji.
Many fans came to Ripa's defense and slammed the notion that bathing suits have an "age limit."
"What would a 47-year-old wear to the beach then? Pants? A skirt? These trolls are only good at one thing. Upsetting people with their offensive comments," one person wrote.
"I'm 60 years young and rock a bikini. People should mind their own business," wrote another.
"No more body shaming. She has a body and works on it," one comment read. "There is no age limit on wearing a bikini. You should be comfortable in your own skin."
Others pointed out the sexist double standard that's implied by shaming Ripa's decision.
"By your logic ... if that's what you'd call it ... I guess that means that @instasuelos has to put a shirt on too then, since you know, teenage girls can 'oggle pictures,'" one person replied to the first comment above. "Please, you're just salty that she's fit, pretty, wealthy, living and loving life with a husband who is also fit, handsome, and clearly adores her, and her him."
Indeed, Ripa posted multiple photos of her husband shirtless on the beach, which were met with overwhelmingly positive feedback. Some commenters made a point to tell Ripa how "lucky" she is, while others even referenced her husband's age — at 46, Consuelos is one year younger than his wife — and praised him for staying in shape.
"He still looks as hot as he did in his 'All My Children' days!" one fan wrote, referring to Consuelos' stint on a popular soap opera that began in 1970.
"Is he the Real Benjamin Button? Hasn't aged at all!!" wrote another.
It's worth noting the stark contrast between these reactions because it highlights the sexism and ageism that women experience on a daily basis— particularly if they have a career in the spotlight.
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