12 Stars Who Dared to Leave the Old-Fashioned Ideas of Women’s Beauty Behind

Social standards have always encouraged women to keep a soft image. Despite this, some celebrities have decided to break all of the stereotypes women face and display their armpit hair, or even have more muscular bodies. Women empowering other women is exactly what we need!

Here at Bright Side, we’ve always encouraged women to break the rules and be themselves, and these role models are doing just that.

1. Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez showed off her incredible muscles, saying she feels like Superwoman. By her posting this picture of her athletic physique, Jennifer continues to break the stereotypes, proving you can be feminine and have muscles, too!

2. Britney Spears

Body hair is natural, and no one should feel ashamed about it. And this is exactly what Britney Spears expressed in 2003. She walked the American Music Awards red carpet with a big smile on her face, showing everyone that our bodies are beautiful no matter what.

3. Lizzo

Lizzo’s songs have always been about body positivity, so it’s no wonder that she supports the body positivity movement in interviews, too. She supports everyone, because “inclusivity is what my message is always about,” she says.

4. Lady Gaga

Apart from her music, what Lady Gaga has been known for is her eccentric and out of the ordinary outfits. Given that women are usually expected to wear soft and fitting outfits, Gaga chooses unconventional clothes over the more feminine ones, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.

5. Serena Williams

Being an incredible and powerful tennis player, Serena’s work can definitely be seen on her body. She, like many other girls, used to believe that being different was something negative, something to be ashamed of.

“When I was growing up, what was celebrated was different. Venus looked more like what is really acceptable: she has incredibly long legs, she’s really, really thin,” she says. Now, she’s thankful for her body, and this development is what we adore seeing in women.

6. Ashley Graham

Ashley made history as a plus-sized model, being the first one to be featured on the cover of a sports magazine. Moreover, she walked runways for many designers. According to society, models usually have to be slim, however featuring a plus-sized model on so many runways definitely inspires other women to love their bodies!

7. Tess Holiday

Similarly to Ashley, Tess Holiday was the first ever size-22 supermodel. We think this kind of representation in media is what we as women need.

“I have this passion inside of me to help other women feel confident and comfortable in their bodies, regardless of their size or what society tells them is beautiful. It’s like a calling,” she says.

8. Sophia Loren

Sophia was known to embrace her body hair. She even posed with her arm up during a photoshoot in Italy, in 1955, revealing her armpit hair. This was definitely a bold move, given the times. She didn’t let that stop her, though, owning her body and doing so flawlessly.

9. Amy Schumer

Amy got a fair amount of backlash after her movie titled I Feel Pretty aired. She quickly responded to some comments regarding her role, stating that: “It’s not about an ugly troll becoming beautiful, it’s about a woman who has low self-esteem finding some. Everyone’s got a right to feel that feeling, regardless of their appearance. We all struggle with self-esteem. I certainly have...”

In reality, the movie is about a woman who finds it hard to find herself pretty, but she does in the end. This is truly inspiring!

10. Simone Biles

Being an incredibly talented and powerful gymnast, Simone’s body certainly looks the part. Her years of training certainly reflect on her looks, being more muscular. “I didn’t struggle with weight issues. It was just more with body image, because I didn’t look like the other kids in my class. I looked more like the boys,” she explains.

However, in the true powerful woman fashion, Simone has come to love her body for what it is: strong and beautiful. She says that “muscles are beauty and I think people are starting, slowly starting, to realize that you can be muscular and a female and be beautiful at the same time,” and we couldn’t agree more.

11. Madonna

Throughout the years, Madonna certainly did her part in encouraging women to dress the way they feel. From her punk rock outfits in the ’80s to her style in the ’90s, she was definitely a style icon. Some of her outfits are still a staple of old-school fashion!

12. Aidy Bryant

Aidy smashed all society standards that rule over women’s bodies by not caring about what others think of her. In an interview, Aidy stated: “What if I put all of that energy into just trying to like myself and focus on the things I actually want to do, as opposed to this thing that’s like a made-up concept? And I’m not kidding, my entire life changed after I did that.”

Have you ever done something, or dressed in a way to break society’s standards?