Own Your Nudes This Women’s Day: How Female Celebrities Take Pride In Their Bodies
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. There are no if’s, and’s or but’s (except your lovely butt, of course). I am so very happy to be living in an age where body positivity is becoming so strong, where all sizes and shapes are welcome (other than some irritating lingering exceptions) and, thankfully, where it’s now a big and brilliant topic of conversation. Because we’ve got to talk about it, and we’ve got to keep talking about it. Let’s change the game.
Some of the names below may not big the biggest stars of the show (yet), but these are all women whom I adore. They are adding their voices to the body positivity movement and showing everyone that it’s okay to just be YOU – whatever form that takes. Be inspired by these incredible female celebrities, and own your nudes this women’s day!
Gina Rodriguez – “I’m trying to use my social media as a way to communicate that I’m flawed and that I’m okay with it” – Women’s Health Magazine.Â
Words cannot describe how much I admire this woman. Having first seen her on the CW’s ‘Jane The Virgin’, Gina’s quirky and resilient can-do attitude quickly left a warm glow upon my heart. As well as being an extremely talented actor and director, she’s fast becoming an incredible role model and inspiration. In a late 2017 interview with Shape Magazine, Gina discusses her body and her health, stating that for her, strength and acceptance are the strongest motivations behind feeling proud about – and comfortable in – your own body.
Diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, one which affects the normal functioning of the thyroid gland, Gina’s health and wellness journey has been an uphill battle. She’s extremely candid about her health struggles, hoping to both inform and help others. Having garnered a love of boxing from her father, fitting in boxing and Muay Thai into her routine to keep up her fitness helps to keep this amazing woman feeling healthy and empowered. GO GINA!
Lizzo – “Learning to love yourself and like learning to love your body is like a whole journey that I feel like every person, but more specifically, women, have to go through…” – Opening to My Skin – Lizzo.
This inspiring female artist is all about self-love. The music she’s created so far is filled to the brim with messages promoting body positivity, both her album and the song ‘Coconut Oil’ a prime example of this lovely lady pushing forward self-care and appreciation over seeking validation from others.
Recently she’s added a number of body positive images to Instagram, one set captioned ‘Welcome to the Garden of Eden My Pussy’. She is fiercely fantastic. Scrolling back a little on her feed, you can see that this kind of posting isn’t unusual for the artist. Her most recent lingerie pictures feature the hashtag #effyourbeautystandards, and I couldn’t agree with her more.
Ashley Graham – “No Matter your size/shape/amount of cellulite, we are in this together” –Â Teen Vogue.Â
Body activist and model Ashley Graham is changing the way we look at size, and it’s about damn time. In a late 2018 interview with Fashion Week Daily, Graham talked about being called ‘brave’ for wearing a bikini that shows her cellulite (!!!). Graham responds to this comment by saying “I just got into the bikini, I went to the beach, and then I got over it” – take that, body shamers!!
Why is it so shocking to think that someone who may not fit into societies beauty standards can be confident? Graham follows up her previous statement by saying that “we all have our insecurities, but you learn to grow and love yourself, and I think about all the women whose lives are being changed by seeing that photo and by seeing me just being confident and posing. That’s why I do this.” – And that’s why we love you, Ashley!
Laverne Cox – “Self-love is a process, it’s not a done deal” –Â SELF MagazineÂ
Laverne Cox is an incredible trans activist who started the #TransIsBeautiful, one of the most used trans-related hashtags on social media. In an interview with SELF Magazine, she mentions that she still sometimes struggles with negative thoughts about body image, like we all do! The Orange is the New Black star was the first openly trans person to be on the cover of both Time and Cosmopolitan, and since then has gone on to achieve so much.
When talking about her #TransIsBeautiful with SELF, she said “I started #TransIsBeautiful as a way to celebrate all those things that make trans folks uniquely trans, those things that don’t necessarily align with cisnormative beauty standards. For me it is necessary everyday to celebrate every aspect of myself especially those things about myself that don’t align with other people’s ideas about what is beautiful.”
Serena Williams – “I’m not asking you to like my body. I’m just asking you to let me be me. Because I’m going to influence a girl who does look like me, and I want her to feel good about herself” –Â SELF Magazine.Â
This incredible woman needs very little introduction. A goddess both on and off the tennis court, Serena Williams is an inspiration not just to female athletes, but to all of us. She is the definition of strong and sexy, and I for one am in constant awe of her.
She is the narrator for the empowering new Nike advent just released. Titled “Dream Crazier”, the video follows amazing female athletes who dared to defy and push limits till they broke records and achieved what they should have always been told they could. Serena is the voice behind this assertive video and a much needed voice for female body positivity in sport. She ends the video saying: “If they want to call you crazy, fine. Show them what crazy can do.” – Let’s all channel some Serena this women’s day.
