15 Celebrities Who Encourage Us to Be Kinder to Ourselves

In the 21st century self-esteem and self-love seem to be measured in likes and retouched photos on social media. There are celebrities who remind us that not everything is what it seems. Behind the screen, there is a human being just like us.

We at Bright Side collected the stories of different female celebrities who, far from being unreachable, share experiences that we can relate to and who make us feel like we’re all in this together.

1. Selena Gomez — her story with Lupus

From being in the public eye for her breakups to dealing with mental illness and Lupus, singer-actress Selena Gomez has always been very open about her personal life with her fans, showing them support and being honest about how she tackles every obstacle.

In 2017, she received a kidney transplant from her best friend Francia Raísa. Which gave her a second chance at life and she approaches it as a gift. Despite the constant fluctuations in her weight and other physical issues due to her condition, Selena Gomez continues doing the things that she loves the most, like cooking and taking care of her mental health.

2. Sarah Jessica Parker — aging is beautiful

Aging is a natural process for every human being. And Sarah Jessica Parker is not afraid to show some of her wrinkles on camera despite the fact that many celebrities try to hide and reverse aging with Botox treatments. Sarah takes pride in how her skin has evolved over the years.

3. Barbie Ferreira — confidence has no size

Barbie Ferreria is a plus-size model and actress, famous for her latest role in Euphoria, where she makes a statement about body positivity. Although she does not want to be recognized as a body positivity activist, she encourages her followers to feel comfortable with their weight, no matter what it is.

She shares photos with her stretch marks to prove that everyone has them and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. In or out of shooting campaigns, she stays real by embracing her body unretouched and unfiltered.

4. Kendall Jenner — there is no “perfect” skin

Acne is a skin condition, most common in teenagers, that causes pimples and sometimes scarring on the skin. Supermodel Kendall Jenner may look like she has flawless skin in runway photos, but she has opened up about the acne struggles she faced as a teenager.

She shares that suffering from this skin condition made her feel insecure and debilitated while trying to fit into a “perfect” standard. However, she shared her experience to let everyone know that not everything is perfect. The skin has many appearances and we should not be guided by what we see on Instagram at first glance.

5. Adele — postpartum depression is a thing

Adele may break records in the music industry, but she always keeps it real when it comes to her personal life. When she became a mother in 2012, she had to deal with some mental health issues and postpartum depression. Ever since her son was born, Angelo has been her first priority.

Adele addresses that it was an important chapter in her life, but that the lack of time to take care of herself caused her to lose her identity and the ability to have a life of her own. Although motherhood can often be romanticized, the truth is that there is much more behind it. We can understand that everyone goes through different processes, and it is totally normal.

6. Bella Hadid — not everything you see on social media is real

Social media can be deceiving. When you spend 24 hours in the spotlight, Hollywood loses its glamour. And for Bella Hadid, mental health is an important topic. The model has opened up about her anxiety issues, letting her community and anyone dealing with mental illness know that they are not alone.

Going through the mental health process has its ups and downs. But the main strength that Bella Hadid has found is not feeling alone during this journey. What people can see in an image has more to say, and accepting our insecurities is also part of feeling loved.

7. Alicia Keys — makeup free is good

Alicia Keys has been embracing her natural beauty since 2016 when she decided to not wear makeup for her new album photoshoot to show her true self. Since then, she has been an advocate of natural looks and has not regretted it.

Even if she’s on the red carpet, Alicia Keys is a natural beauty muse who inspires us to ditch concealer for a while and highlight our features without layers of makeup.

8. Camila Cabello — this is how real women look

Our bodies evolve over time and due to different circumstances. Camila Cabello reminds us to not be hard on ourselves and that being at war with your body is so last season.

When she was body-shamed in 2021, she didn’t hold back and responded to the negative comments with an inspiring message for all women. We all have cellulite, curves, and stretch marks. Those things make us human and instead of trying to cover up insecurities, we should own them.

9. Chrissy Teigen — opened up about her loss to heal

Chrissy Teigen is a mother who loves to share the behind-the-scenes of motherhood on her social media. But in late September 2020, her life took a 180-degree turn when she had an unfortunate miscarriage.

She shared the experience of losing a baby on a very personal level in an essay. Chrissy added that writing about what happened helped her process her emotions. And after a year of her loss, she is still recovering and finding support in her family. We all have a different way of going through a crisis and we should always seek help from those who love us.

10. Ashley Graham — body changes during pregnancy

Body transformation during pregnancy is a whole process in which Ashley Graham stands for a conversation around acceptance. During her pregnancy journey waiting for twins, the model has taken the opportunity to share with her fans the real process of how the body evolves and changes.

Ashley Graham reminds us that bringing a new human being into the world comes with breast pumps, stretch marks, therapy, and weight fluctuations.

11. Meegan Thee Stallion — asking for help is courageous

Meghan Thee Stallion can be one of the strongest voices in rap music, but she’s also human and has taught us that it is never wrong to ask for help. When she was a teenager she lost her father and in 2019, she lost her mother after a battle with brain cancer.

Despite the myths that surround the word therapy and that it is often misrepresented in the media, Meghan knew that the moment she felt alone, it was right to ask for help. In the end, recognizing that we need help is an act of courage that makes us stronger.

12. Bebe Rexha — mental health is important

It’s not easy to be open about a personal issue or mental illness, but when you do, it’s a way of breaking free. And for Bebe Rexha it was.

In 2018, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and, although she found it difficult, at first, to admit that there was something wrong, she found in it the power to confront her condition and speak to the world so that people facing similar problems would not feel alone.

13. Iskra Lawrence — love comes from within and not from a diet

Iskra Lawrence is a British model who spreads that happiness is not a number on a scale. When she began her modeling career, she confessed to having an eating disorder and body dysmorphia, measuring her success in calories and striving to meet society’s standards.

Once she gave up restrictive diets, she found in herself the love she was looking for. She shares her story in hopes that more women dealing with eating disorders can also share their experiences and make this an honest conversation toward change.

14. Drew Barrymore — motherhood is about learning

Drew Barrymore is the mother of 2 daughters and knows that being a mom doesn’t mean having all the answers. She may be an actress and a writer and even star in her own talk show, but when it comes to motherhood, she’s very humble about it.

The truth is that there is no better advice to prepare you to be a mother than your own maternal instincts. And for Drew, finding all the answers about motherhood is a daily process.

15. Simone Biles — always put yourself first

Prioritizing mental health should be a must, always. Even in situations where it may seem complicated, there is nothing more important than taking care of yourself. Simone Biles, the American gymnastics champion, made a very challenging decision when she withdrew during the final of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

She made this move to focus on her mental health and get away from peer pressure. In an act of self-care, Simone inspires us to put ourselves first above any expectations.

We are advocates of self-love and we would love to know, what activities you like to do to boost your self-esteem? Let us know in the comments!