Ashley Graham’s Groundbreaking Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover

Proving that beauty isn’t measured by size, model Ashley Graham continues to make history on and off the runway. As the first plus-size model to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 issue, she’s a trailblazer and she’s making strides for women who don’t fit the traditional mold in the fashion industry. She’s also known for promoting a healthy body image and encouraging women of all sizes to be less critical about their bodies. “This cover is for every woman who felt like she wasn’t beautiful enough because of her size,” wrote Graham on Instagram announcing her cover. “You can do and achieve anything you put your mind to.” 

Lena Dunham’s Unapologetic Body Confidence

The star and creator of HBO’s Girls is known for going au naturel on camera, and behind the scenes she’s just as candid. Showing her body just as it is and without reservation has made her a role model for the body positive movement. In a recent interview with Paper magazine she said, “All the characters I play always dress like they’re a size zero when they’re actually a size 10. Some might call it ‘delusional’ and I like to think about it as this sort of rocket confidence that’s a little unearned but better than the opposite. I think that it was important to me also to announce that ‘this is what I look like. I don’t have an interest in changing unless it’s on my own terms.'”

When she isn’t busy being a supermodel or adoring wife to singer John Legend, Chrissy Teigen spends a lot of time on social media being real with her followers. This includes sharing images on Instagram of the food she likes to cook (and eat!) and the imperfections and flaws that make her more human and endearing. In a post that garnered a lot of attention, she proudly displayed her non-modelesque stretch marks and wrote, “Bruises from bumping kitchen drawer handles for a week. Stretchies say hi!”

Image: Instagram/ Chrissy Teigen

Amy Schumer has no problem sharing what’s on her mind, so she’s a natural proponent for the body positivity movement. Posting an image on Instragram of her Pirelli calendar portrait, the comedian captioned the photo with: “Beautiful, gross, strong, thin, fat, pretty, ugly, sexy, disgusting, flawless, woman.” Although the image perfectly captures both the comedian’s curves and self-deprecating brand of humor, her words send an important message about self-acceptance.

Rebel Wilson’s Victoria’s Secret Wings

At the 2015 MTV Movie Awards, Rebel Wilson made a statement when she wore a bejeweled bra and a massive set of angel wings, a look typically reserved for the Victoria’s Secret runway. Written on her backside was the word “Think” in big, bold letters, a nod to Victoria’s Secret’s Pink line. Although the stunt was intended to entertain, she’s spoken out about her motivation in donning the famous wings. “I think sometimes girls look at Victoria’s Secret models and think that they have to model themselves after that, but I really don’t think that’s the best. Even though they are called ‘models,’ they’re not the best people to model yourself after,” said Wilson. “I’d like to encourage other girls to think that way, which is why I put that word on my butt. It’s about what’s up here [points to her head] and not what’s here [points to her bottom].”

Mindy Kaling’s Words of Wisdom

Known for her sarcastic wit, Mindy Kaling, the creator and star of The Mindy Project doesn’t mince words when it comes to the topic of her body and how others perceive it. In an interview with The Guardian, she’s honest, inspiring and refreshingly confident, saying, “You know what’s funny? If I call myself a cute, chubby girl, the natural, kind woman’s response is, ‘You’re not chubby! You’re beautiful! And thin!,'” she says. “And I always want to hug the person and say, ‘It’s OK, I identify as someone who is cute and chubby—that doesn’t mean I’m not worthy of love and attention and intimacy.'”

Adele’s Outlook on Self-Acceptance

Despite her meteoric rise to the top of the music charts, Adele is continually asked in interviews about her size and her weight, a topic that has nothing to do with her beauty or talent. Despite the constant questioning, she’s never held back when responding to inquiries. In an interview with The Daily Mirror, the soulful singer said, “I think no matter what you look like, the key is to first of all be happy with yourself. And then you know if you want to try to improve things that you don’t like about yourself, do it after you appreciate yourself.”

Kate Winslet’s Message to Her Daughter

Kate Winslet is no stranger to public scrutiny about her body shape. She’s been a longtime advocate of embracing your curves and has been outspoken about the body-image struggles she faced as a young woman in the public eye. Winslet told Vogue Australia, “As a child, I never heard one woman say to me, ‘I love my body.’ Not my mother, my elder sister, my best friend. No one woman has ever said, ‘I am so proud of my body.’ So I make sure to say it to Mia [my daughter], because a positive physical outlook has to start at an early age.”

Demi Lovato’s Before and After

After a long struggle with an eating disorder, Demi Lovato has been very open about her struggle with self-acceptance. After adopting a healthy lifestyle and learning to love herself, the singer had a powerful message for her 30 million–plus social media followers. Posting a before-and-after image just one year apart that showed her more slender and toned figure, she wrote, “I was beautiful then and I’m beautiful now…I decided to focus on bettering myself by making changes in my life with health, balance, endurance and consistency… it’s all about loving and taking care of the only body you will ever have. Cherish it, love it and embrace it. Because when you do, it begins to show.”

Drew Barrymore’s Post-Baby Body Image

In an interview with InStyle, the always funny and always relatable Drew Barrymore had a lot to say about her post-baby body image: “I am who I am and I just don’t have a bikini body. I don’t even have a one-piece body anymore! But I am loving the long rash guard, board-shorts look. I’ve beaten myself up about not being a certain thing. If someone says, ‘Let’s go to the beach today,’ my first thought is, ‘F––, what am I going to wear?’”

Image: Instagram/Drew Barrymore