Curves are en vogue once again, and slim figures aren’t always shamed with anorexia labels. Gapped teeth are suddenly representative of high fashion, and untamed eyebrows are all over runways. Could it be that normal, natural bodies are finally starting to become a trend?
Celebrities are comfortable now more than ever with the idea of loving their bodies, even if they don’t necessarily fit the media’s standards. The verdict is in: sexy can come in skinny jeans and maternity wear, with or without braces.
Women like Britney and LiLo practically have their bathroom scales broadcasted to the world, and they (sometimes, just barely) live to tell the tale. So what’s the deal with college girls obsessing over their perfectly healthy bodies, when other women are having theirs publicly scrutinized on a daily basis?
Many of us are at the stage where our bodies are the healthiest and most appealing that they will ever be. Why not embrace it while we have the chance? If Britney can learn to tell her body’s biggest critics to eff off, we can too.
Before such major changes can be made, we might need some inspiration. Here are some amazing celebs who are gorgeous, confident, and the perfect role models for ditching body image issues. These chicks have somehow made the media’s comments on their appearance irrelevant and childish, rather than the mirror image of them.
Kate Upton
No one is hotter than Kate Upton right now. The girl was a cover model on the Sport’s Illustrated swimsuit issue twice, but still manages to be criticized for her weight. Honestly, there is not much else you can do to prove “fat” comments wrong than appear in a bikini on the cover of Sports Illustrated, but you get the picture. Clearly the majority of the male population cannot get enough of her, so why bother trying to take her down? To paraphrase snippets of her interviews that are plastered around the internet, she says she likes to eat and she won’t starve herself for any reason.
The lesson: Even Sports Illustrated swimsuit models get crap for not being a typical swimsuit model. Like, really? Different is not always bad….in fact, it’s usually good.
Christina Hendricks
I dare you to find someone who loves their body more than Christina Hendricks does. She’s awesome not only because she gets to look at Don Draper (Jon Hamm) all day on the set of Mad Men, but also because she flaunts her stuff like it’s her last day on earth to do so. Men and women alike can’t get enough of her. Her crazy-curvy body and quirky red hair make for an unusual appearance that magnetizes the media, and her fans.
The lesson: Confidence will make haters evaporate one by one. Her figure is no use to her critics if she has no reaction or means of backlash towards it. Two words: own it.
Scarlett Johansson
Despite her glorious Dolce & Gabbana advertisement deals and cat suit-clad role in The Avengers, Scarlett Johansson has been accused of weight gain and crash dieting all at once. She published a rather long article about her body “issues”, addressing the fact that she would never subject herself to unhealthy means of losing weight and the awful spotlight that the media places her in. The jist of the article as that she cringes when she sees her name associated with an unhealthy lifestyle, and she fears being perceived as promoting such.
The lesson: When you hear about a diet that your favorite celebrity is suffering through, it may not even be true. If they are like Scarlett, they embrace healthy ways of staying in shape and do not have the authenticity to promote these diets. Don’t take it upon yourself to do what they apparently do to lose weight.
Madonna
Given all of the risks that Madonna has taken throughout her career, the decision to keep the gap in her teeth may not seem too surprising. She’s a woman that does what she wants, and can absolutely get away with it. Also, she’s not one to reach for the bleach when her smile is less than blindingly white (not many other celebrities can say the same). It doesn’t matter what her teeth look like, people will still listen to whatever comes out of Madonna’s mouth.
The lesson: Costly repairs for body parts that don’t need repairing are not always a good idea. Keeping it real can reel in the most respect from critics. Would you rather be bashed for having a bleached smile or one that really belongs to you?
Miley Cyrus
It’s hard not to love Miley. The media seemed to be shocked when her pre-pubescent Hannah Montana body morphed into that of an adult. It was as if they expected her to stay stick thin and curveless for the rest of her life. When they mentioned that she was “showing off a fuller figure”, she took to Twitter to slam them right back with pictures of women plagued with eating disorders. She said that her critics lack love for themselves, or else they wouldn’t be trying to drain the love that she has for herself. Oh yeah, and you remember when she cut off all of her hair and it became a media sensation, right? She said she never felt more like herself.
The lesson: Your body is going to change and there is nothing you, or anyone who hates on you, can do about it. If you do change something about yourself, like your hair, remember why you did it in the first place when you get questioned about it. Don’t be afraid to defend yourself when you know you and your body have done no wrong.
Sometimes there is nothing more refreshing than seeing a starlet who owns what she’s got. Just because your full body potential does not look like someone else’s doesn’t mean either girl is doing something wrong. A lot of being happy, healthy, and confident comes from the way we perceive ourselves. Seeing how these celebrities deal with the media (AKA the critic from hell) can give us some insight as to just how fake and corrupt the beauty industry can be towards these women. There’s no reason to be like that towards ourselves.