AMC
The
Alanna Masterson plays Tara on "The Walking Dead."
She recently gave birth to a daughter, and fans began commenting on her weight.
Masterson said she wouldn't change her weight and it helped her daughter get the nutrition she needs.
Sunday's episode of "The Walking Dead" centered around actress Alanna Masterson's character Tara as she stumbled upon a new community of women living on their own in the zombie apocalypse.
It was the first time fans saw Masterson's character in ten episodes, other than a dream sequence in the season 7 premiere, since Tara went on a two-week fruitless hunt scavenging with Heath.
While Tara was offscreen, Masterson gave birth to her now one-year-old daughter Marlowe.
Fans may have been tipped off that Masterson was pregnant on set of the show as her small frame was dressed in baggier, looser clothing throughout much of season six. Boards and chairs were among the objects used to cleverly hide Masterson's growing belly on screen while she continued to film. She wasn't in as many scenes, and when she did appear, she was often surrounded by a cast of other characters, detracting from her pregnant stomach.
AMC, composite by Kirsten Acuna/INSIDER
Tara's looks throughout her time on "The Walking Dead."
It's something Masterson joked about recently at New York Comic Con in October. "Towards the end [of season six] you could definitely be like, 'Yeah, she's been eating a lot.'" Obviously, that wasn't the case.
Some didn't catch on to the fact that Masterson was pregnant though. After her reappearance on the seventh episode of the season, people took notice and started leaving messages about her being overweight. One commenter suggested she should get to a gym.
Masterson wasn't having any of it.
The 28-year-old actress took to her Instagram to call out the hecklers for being judgmental bullies and to let them know she's proud of her size.
"Before you decide to make a comment about my chest being 'too large' or how 'fat' I've become, just know that this little girl got the best start to life," Masterson wrote. "I wouldn't have changed it for a second. I would've gladly continued to eat enough calories to produce milk for her little bones to grow."
Not only has Masterson been raising her daughter for the past year, but she's also been on set of "The Walking Dead" working 17-hour days doing her stunts while "pumping in a van between takes."
And Marlowe's been right there alongside her mother. Masterson recently said on the series' aftershow "Talking Dead" that her daughter was tucked away in a tent with a plugged in AC unit while she filmed out under the hot Georgia sun.
Here's Masterson's message in full from Instagram:
Dear Instagram trolls, body shamers, and the men and woman who think it's ok to comment on my weight: I hope that you don't have children. And if you do, I hope you teach them about kindness and acceptance. I hope they learn that it isn't ok to make fun of people or call people names. I hope one day YOU learn what it takes to be a parent. A kind, selfless parent. A working parent. A parent that puts themselves in someone else's shoes. Maybe you can't get it through your thick fucking skull, but nursing a baby for a year (and pumping in a van between takes, in the dead of summer in Georgia) is a lot of work, determination, and scheduling. So before you decide to make a comment about my chest being "too large" or how "fat" I've become, just know that this little girl got the best start to life. I wouldn't have changed it for a second. I would've gladly continued to eat enough calories to produce milk for her little bones to grow. Also, grow the f--- up. Your mother should be ashamed for raising such a judgmental bully. I'm sure she knows how "courageous" you must be for trolling and hiding behind your Iphone and computers. P.s. I would LOVE to see any man or woman give birth to a baby, nurse the baby, and then work 17 hour days and NAIL their own stunts. P.s.s. Be kind to each other. We need it now more than ever. ❤️✌🏼️