20 Powerful Quotes From Celebrities About Body Shaming, Self Image & Learning To Love Your Body — As Is
"You're amazing, just the way you are." — Bruno Mars
Body-shaming is a horrible reality that everyone faces over and over again in their lives. But what exactly is body-shaming?
According to Healthline, body-shaming "involves criticizing and harassing overweight people about their weight or eating habits to make them feel ashamed of themselves," with the intent to "motivate people to eat less, exercise more, and lose weight."
Does this criticism affect a person's self-esteem? Well, according to Kris Gunnars, a writer for Healthline agrees that fat-shaming makes things worse.
He states, "Some believe that making overweight people feel ashamed of their weight or eating habits may motivate them to get healthier. However, scientific evidence confirms that nothing could be further from the truth."
It's so true. People take the wrong approach in trying to approach the topic of your weight. Family members, doctors, and complete strangers make it the hardest and they can cut you down in a split second.
Body-shaming can cause a decrease in motivation, depression, eating disorders, reduced self-esteem, stress, weight gain, mental problems, increased risk of suicide, increased cortisol (a stress hormone) levels, and it can increase your risk for certain chronic diseases.
As someone who is overweight, there is not a day that goes by that I am not reminded that I need to stop eating this, or I need to exercise, or I need to lose weight, or I need to make myself look pretty. It really does take a toll on my mental health and self-esteem. Some days I don't want to eat because all these negative thoughts are swirling around and then there are times I feel guilty for eating something.
It's important for me to remember that I have to eat, but body-shaming from others and myself since I was born has made me so self-conscious that it can make just the simple matter of eating a chore and something that I feel so bad about.
But, lately, I have realized that I have to love myself for who I am and what I look like. I shouldn't be ashamed of who I am or let negativity manifest.
If you are going through these same things, remember you are not alone.
Everyone goes through these body-shaming situations, even celebrities, but what can make you stand out is if you don't let what other people say or the devil sitting on your shoulder weigh you down or make you miserable. Take a look at the following celebrity quotes that talk about body shaming, self image and confidence to help you learn to love the body you're in.
1. Women have to start being kind.
"My great hope for us as young women is to start being kinder to ourselves so that we can be kinder to each other. To stop shaming ourselves and other people: 'too fat, too skinny, too short, too tall, too anything.' There's a sense that we're all 'too' something, and we're all not enough. This is life. Our bodies change. Our minds change. Our hearts change." —Emma Stone
2. Every woman is allowed to feel sexy.
"I am allowed to look sexy, feel sexy, and be in love. I am worthy of all those things, and so are you." —Mary Lambert
3. Everyone has body issues.
"I definitely have body issues, but everybody does. When you come to the realization that everybody does that — even the people that I consider flawless — then you can start to live with the way you are." —Taylor Swift
4. There are so many unrealistic expectations for body image.
"Girls see enough of this body we can't imitate, that we'll never be able to obtain ... these unrealistic expectations. It's better to look healthy and strong." —Jennifer Lawrence
5. You need to accept who you are and what you have.
"I realize everybody wants what they don't have. But at the end of the day, what you have inside is much more beautiful than what's on the outside." —Selena Gomez
6. Beauty is the goal in life that is unobtainable if you don't love yourself.
"Beauty is the enemy. We try to conquer not feeling beautiful all our lives. It's a battle that can't be won. There's no definition of beauty. The only way to achieve beauty is to feel it from inside without breaking down into individual physical attributes." —Miley Cyrus
7. You have to be happy with the way you look and not try to conform to a stereotype.
"I don't really care what I look like that much, and I think women out there should just be happy with the way they look. They shouldn't really try to conform to any kind of stereotype. Just be happy and hopefully healthy." —Rebel Wilson
8. You have to be OK with looking different.
"Since I don't look like every other girl, it takes a while to be okay with that. To be different. But different is good." —Serena Williams
9. Society is the one that needs to make some changes.
"To all the girls that think you're fat because you're not a size zero, you're the beautiful one. It's society who's ugly." —Marilyn Monroe
10. Love all of your flaws because they make you who you are.
"I've made peace with the fact that the things I thought were weaknesses or flaws were just me. I like them." —Sandra Bullock
11. Everyone has lumps, bumps, and rolls. It means you are human.
"Who cares if there are lumps on my thighs? I'm guilty of having human legs made up of fat, muscle, and skin, and sometimes when you sit, they get bumpy!" —Kristen Bell
12. You are the only one that can make any decisions about your body.
"It's my life and my body and only I have the right to decide what I'm gonna do with it." —Zareen Khan
13. Do what you desire to do and don't let your insecurities hold you back.
"Don't waste so much time worrying about your skin or your weight. Develop what you do, what you put your hands on in the world." —Meryl Streep
14. Don't let your mental health be compromised.
"I'm not going to sacrifice my mental health to have the perfect body." —Demi Lovato
15. You have to love yourself so that you want to take care of your body.
"You don't encourage people to take care of their body by telling them to hate it." —Laci Green
16. Accept yourself for who you are.
"You've just got to laugh at yourself, honestly. I mean, I know when I'm having a fat day and when I've lost weight. I accept all of the bodies." —Rihanna
17. Your children look at you and will think just like you, so you need to be body positive.
"I stand in front of the mirror and say to Mia [my daughter], 'We are so lucky that we've got a shape. We're so lucky we're curvy.'" —Kate Winslet
18. Find yourself so that you can believe you are beautiful and worthy in your own way.
"I think it's so important for women who like me ... [that they] find themselves, that they can be beautiful or be objects of love and attention and affection." —Mindy Kaling
19. Be proud of who you are.
"I've never wanted to look like models on the cover of magazines. I represent the majority of women and I'm very proud of that." —Adele
20. Beauty reflects from the inside out.
"True beauty in a women is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she knows." —Audrey Hepburn
Emily Francos is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture and relationships.