Celebrities have always lived a step above the status of mortal humans. Whether it’s for their immeasurable talent or simply for their good looks, they’ve always been viewed as figures of admiration advice. It’s a common trend for people to look towards celebrities, especially in times of reassurance. For some reason, when the phrase “everything will become better” comes from a celebrity, fans tend to take the words more seriously.
For the most part, celebrities have encouraged their followers to live their best lives through demure, aesthetic posts. As they admit their flaws, they either insist that such flaws are fixable, or they assert that no one should in any way feel bad about their flaws. This, of course, is shown through pictures that don’t show a single one of said celebrity flaws. The social media pictures are often accompanied by soft-spoken captions, which refuse to call out society for creating such impossible expectations.
Enter Hilary Duff.
Not only does she speak out for her fans by encouraging them to live their best lives as their best selves, she does so with aplomb. Her latest Instagram post proudly shows off her cellulite, and the caption shames body-shamers, saying, “kiss my ass.”
“I am posting this on behalf of young girls, women, and mothers of all ages,” she states below the picture. “Since websites and magazines love to share ‘celeb flaws’ – well I have them! My body has given me the greatest gift of my life: Luca, 5 years ago. I’m turning 30 in September, and my body is healthy and gets me where I need to go. Ladies, let’s be proud of what we’ve got and stop wasting precious time in the day wishing we were different, better, and unflawed.”
This isn’t the first time Duff has used social media to expose problems and encourage others. In February, she showed encouragement for those perhaps feeling a little down about their legs on another Instagram post, which reads: “I didn’t always love my legs, but as I’ve grown, I’ve learned to love and celebrate myself, just as I am. I began to realize that my legs are STRONG and they carry me every. single. day.”
In 2015, Duff discussed in an interview how her appearance had been her first priority – to the point where she became obsessed with it. “When I was 17, I weighed, like, 98 pounds. I was totally obsessed with everything I put in my mouth. I was way too skinny. Not cute. And my body wasn’t that healthy – my hands would cramp up a lot because I wasn’t getting the nutrition I needed,” she admits.
Eventually, as proved in her Instagram posts, Duff learned to love herself – just like one of her most famous characters. During her time on the Disney Channel TV show, Lizzie McGuire, Duff played the main protagonist, Lizzie. Lizzie struggled with the everyday problems of surviving middle school, including: unrequited crushes, fashion disasters, and the need to look “cool.”
One of the more notable episodes – and more relevant to Duff’s story – is when Lizzie’s best friend, Miranda, develops anorexia because she feels that she isn’t pretty enough to be in a music video. While the episode veers away from the issue before it can get too deep, it’s still an example of how – despite having moved on from the role – Duff is still fighting to let young girls know that they are enough, regardless of who they are.
Her celebrity status level may not be equal to that of a celebrity like Selena Gomez, but the messages Duff relays are more realistic and emotional than those of other celebrities, and she has the photos to prove it.
Featured Image by Tatiana T on Flickr
Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
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