Celeb psychologist Jordan Peterson mocks plus-size Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, then flees Twitter
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Podcasting Canadian therapist Dr. Jordan Peterson added volunteer beauty pageant judge to his resume, then fled Twitter amid a flurry of activity — most of it negative.
Peterson, who has been described as “conservative leaning,” weighed in recently on the new Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, which features plus-sized model Yumi Nu on its cover.
“Sorry. Not beautiful,” he tweeted alongside that image of Nu in a black swimsuit with cutouts. “And no amount of authoritarian tolerance is going to change that.”
A rush of criticism quickly flooded Peterson’s Twitter feed. Some Twitter users suggested the celebrity shrink may want to look in the mirror before judging people based on looks. It was also suggested he missed the inclusive objective of the magazine cover. Others wondered why he felt a need to weigh in at all. In some cases, Peterson was mocked for being petty.
“Authoritarianism is when there’s thick woman on magazine cover?” asked one Twitter user. “Lmao.”
Peterson wrote on Twitter that he had recently taken a break from the platform and found that time away refreshing. He blamed the social media company’s operating procedures for enabling a toxic exchange of ideas.
“The endless flood of vicious insult is really not something that can be experienced anywhere else,” he tweeted. “I like to follow the people I know but I think the incentive structure of the platform makes it intrinsically and dangerously insane.”
Peterson, who has 2.7 million followers on Twitter, added that he’d asked staffers to change his password “to keep me from temptation” as he once again took a break from the platform.
An unverified account registered to “Yumi Nu” responded to Peterson’s remark by implying he’s jealous.
Nu became the first Asian plus-size model to appear on the coveted cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
That cover featuring Nu, who is also a musician, is one of four from which readers can choose on newsstands. Another features reality TV performer Kim Kardashian.
