No skin condition has been as demonized over the last few decades as cellulite. Who could forget the glossy magazine covers with ultra-zoomed photos of celebrities’ butts, thighs, and stomachs, hyper-analyzing any bumps they could find? Because the truth is, cellulite is very common, whether you’re a celebrity or not. A recent study noted that 80 to 90 percent of women have cellulite, mostly on the thighs, butt, and hips, and it’s completely harmless, Mayo Clinic says. It’s caused when fat cells accumulate and push against the skin, while the fibrous cords connecting skin to muscle pull down, creating an uneven surface. Some people associate cellulite with being overweight, but weight is only one factor of many; hormones, genetics, and muscle tone can all play a role as well.
Clearly, there are a lot of cellulite myths we’re working to debunk, which is why it’s so encouraging to see many people starting to embrace it, including the celebrities who were once blasted for daring to show the ripples on their skin while relaxing on the beach. The time for policing of bodies (and especially women’s bodies) is over.
Celebrities Speaking Out About Cellulite
While many people have drawn strength and confidence from the body positivity movement, others prefer body neutrality - not judging your body as “good” or “bad” at all. One of them is Jameela Jamil, who has other things she wants to focus on besides her body. Jamil went on, “I just manage to get more things done in my day when I’m not thinking about my figure. One of the most ridiculous (and unfair) parts of the current beauty standard is the way it forces us to equate how we look - including our body shape and size - with how deserving we are of love.”
Amy Schumer, for one, refuses to put up with those expectations, as she revealed in a 2015 interview with Glamour. “For women, we’re taught to eat less until we disappear,” she said. “And trained to believe that if you don’t look like everyone else, then you’re unlovable. And men are not trained that way … I think it’s good to see somebody saying: I have a belly. And I have cellulite.”
Lizzo loves her body and her beauty, and she’s on a mission to help fans feel the same way. Talking to People in 2022, the “Good as Hell” singer said, “I think I have a really hot body!”
Kristen Bell has had her share of paparazzi photos where her cellulite is visible - and often highlighted. “I’ve had my cellulite circled, when Dax [Shepard, her husband] and I were in Hawaii,” she told ShowbizSpy in 2010, per Jezebel. ”When I saw it I started to sweat, going, ‘Oh, my gosh, someone doesn’t like me’. Then the more I looked at the pic, I thought, ‘I look great!’ I’m sorry for having human legs, made of muscle, skin and fat. Oops. Like I should be apologizing for that! If I had an extra pound on me, forgive me, but I was happy enough with the picture that I was like, ‘I like my body. I have cellulite.”
Kelly Clarkson has long been an advocate for authenticity when it comes to body image - even when she herself is being Photoshopped. She learned early on, as a contestant on American Idol, that her body would be unfairly scrutinized and her best bet was to ignore it. “It’s horrible - [magazines will] show celebrities with cellulite and it’s like, ‘Of course celebrities have cellulite!” she said.
Jessie J casually embraced her cellulite in a gorgeous (now-deleted) Instagram photo from 2019. Pictured rocking a black bikini, the British singer wrote, “Took ages to hairspray my hair like that. My shadow is my mood. Oh and for those telling me I have cellulite. I know.”
Jessica Alba’s workouts prove she’s passionate about taking care of her body, and that includes accepting it the way it is. “I have cellulite and stretch marks,” Alba went on.
As a star who rose to fame at the height of Hollywood’s weight obsession in the early 2000s, Kate Winslet has always refused to conform to unhealthy ideals. “I look like the people that walk down the street,” she told The Sun in 2012, per HuffPost. “I don’t have perfect boobs, I don’t have zero cellulite - of course I don’t - and I’m curvy.”
Ashley Graham has broken plenty of barriers as a plus-size model, so it’s no surprise that she’s also shared insight into her feelings on body image. “I felt free once I realized I was never going to fit in the mold that society wanted me to fit in,” Graham said in a 2015 TED Talk. “I’m never going to be perfect enough for an industry that defines perfection from the outside in … rolls, curves, cellulite - all of it.”
In 2023, she took to the platform again to spread some truths about cellulite and how common it is. Zooming in on a photo of herself from a past rugby tournament, Maher pointed out some cellulite on her leg. “I’m a professional athlete. I run all day long. I lift weights all day long, constantly. And that is what my legs look like. I have cellulite everywhere, and it is completely normal… It does not take away from your athletic ability or how fast or how fit you are. It’s just something that’s part of your body.”
Cellulite: we all have it. If you don’t, congrats! There’s no shame in having it. It doesn’t matter if you’re the fittest person in the world or a couch potato. Cellulite is a natural thing our bodies have, and it is okay to have it! (And if you’re here to shame these people…rethink your life choices. We stan a plus-size model! Hunter McGrady is all about her cellulite. She posts pictures of her body just the way it is, cellulite, stretch marks, and all. No biggie, just all part of being a human in this world. Yikes. She believes in body positivity and being a role model, and I don’t want to hear a word about anyone’s bad opinions on her body!
Kelly talked about this picture in an interview with Self: “When I was overseas, a picture came out showing my imperfections and someone tried to body-shame me. There’s so much to love about this picture and post. Demi hasn’t made it shy that she loves her body. She posed this image to her Instagram story, in which she embraces her cellulite. Ashley Graham has no problem showing off her cellulite. This star of The Bachelorette didn’t have the easiest time seeing this photo. Women are held to impossibly high standards of beauty. She posed for the brand with the promise that there would be no retouching.
Taking a brief break from cellulite appreciation to throw in some stretch mark appreciation! However, she’s absolutely fine with them. I love her, so she’s going on this list twice. No, I will not be taking criticism. Anyway, I love Chrissy’s habit of taking pictures of her stretch-marked thighs and posting it to social media. Do not mess with Jameela. Riri doesn’t care, though.
Once upon a time, you couldn't walk past a newsstand without seeing photos of celebrities in swimsuits-bumps and scars and all, because they're human-trying to live their life and getting body-shamed for it. But times have changed, and models and actresses alike are now leading the charge to normalize cellulite, stretch marks, and other so-called flaws. It couldn't have come soon enough.
The body positivity movement has spurred a lot of great things, but one of the best has been the embrace of cellulite. Instead of being considered something to mask or get rid of with expensive (often questionable) creams, cellulite is being seen for what it is: normal. (According to recent stats, 93 percent of women have it-regardless of their shape or size.) And celebrities, instead of waiting for the paparazzi to snap and sell photos, are posting pics of their own dimpled legs on social media to rewrite the narrative. Here are a few of the women who are speaking out.
Ashley Graham
The model and body-positivity advocate has long been a champion of embracing your body as it is-bumps and all-an attitude she credits her mom for instilling in her. "I remember telling my mom, 'Isn't it disgusting? It's so ugly.' She pulled her pants down and said, 'Look, I have it too.' And I was like, 'Gasp!'" Graham shared in a recent issue of V Magazine. "She looked at me, then at it, and just rolled her eyes. She didn't tell me that it's beautiful or ugly. She just made it a nonissue. "Cellulite and yet I still love myself," she captioned a Boomerang posted to Instagram Stories, drawing an arrow from the statement to her bare thighs. Though the bumps aren't quite visible in the Boomerang, she quickly cleared things up. "The Boomerang smoothed out my legs," she wrote. "The point is, I have cellulite just like the other 93% of women do. What you see on Instagram isn't always what it seems to be. Let's embrace our real selves."
Hunter McGrady
"I’m a size 16. And I’m here to say this is what confidence looks like and it’s beautiful. Why are we so worried if, God forbid, we have a roll, cellulite, or stretch marks?" the Sports Illustrated veteran (who broke barriers as the magazine's curviest-ever model) told Glamour.com in a recent interview. "These are normal, human things that everybody has. My fiancé has them, and he’s a man. Everybody has them. I just don’t understand because society tells us they are our flaws."
Gabi Gregg
Style blogger and body positivity activist Gabi Gregg-a.k.a. GabiFresh-posted an Instagram video to point out how something as simple as lighting can make a difference in what you see in images. "Reminder that cellulite is normal and nothing to be ashamed of (and also depends on lighting! You can literally see mine "disappear" as I walk out of a shadow here)."
Iskra Lawrence
The model-who has starred in unretouched ads for Aerie-delivered a powerful TED Talk on self-love in 2017, where she opened up about the problems with digitally altered images. Here's just a snippet: "I had to forgive myself for the times I saw retouched pictures of myself with slimmer arms, a thigh gap, unachievably smooth skin, with no cellulite or back fat, and thought that’s how I should look in real life. I now know that just because people decided to alter my appearance to look 'perfected,' it doesn't make me any less beautiful in the real world-where I can’t walk around airbrushed."
Hilary Duff
Duff kept it real when she posted a photo of herself on a beach, featuring her son and a very cute swimsuit. "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, lets be proud of what we've got and stop wasting precious time in the day wishing we were different, better, and unflawed. You guys (you know who you are!) already know how to ruin a good time, and now you are body shamers as well. #kissmyass."
Kelly Rowland
Do not come for Kelly Rowland, because she won't have it. "I used to be very self-conscious about the cellulite and stretch marks on my butt," she said in a 2017 interview with Shape. "When I was overseas, a picture came out showing my imperfections and someone tried to body-shame me. "Would you tell your friend that she would be funnier, smarter, or a better person if she were more toned? Would you tell her she didn’t deserve love or happiness because she had cellulite or some wrinkles?" she wrote in an essay for Glamour. "Would you tell her it didn’t matter how much she had achieved because she didn’t have a thigh gap and that she is a failure in life and a waste of space for not looking like a doll? Then why do you say it to yourself?"
Paris Jackson
In a 2017 interview, Jackson went into detail about her effort to embrace herself despite the strict (and, frankly, unrealistic) standards of beauty in the fashion industry. "I'm not symmetrical, I'm not a size zero, I eat hella burgers and endless amounts of pizza. I can't fit into a runway sample size of designer clothes, I have scars and stretch marks and acne and I have cellulite," she explained. "I'm human. Not a dress-up doll. The idea that we all have to fit one idea of beauty is outrageous and ridiculous because 'perfection' is just an opinion."
Jessie J
Singer Jessie J recently posted a gorgeous photo of herself in a bathing suit, looking out into the ocean, on Instagram-and she preemptively called out anyone who might try to body-shame her in the caption. "Took ages to hairspray my hair like that," she wrote. "My shadow is my mood 🥴 oh and for those telling me I have cellulite. I know. I own a mirror. 👍🏻" Her comments section soon filled with supportive messages like "I don’t see cellulite."
Olivia Munn
The actress posted a super chill shot this summer, but was quickly met with a raft of bizarre comments from trolls criticising her for not editing out her cellulite. Strange world we live in, hey?
Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato felt the 'fear' and did it anyway, with this unedited snap from her recent holiday in Bora Bora. Using the hashtags #nationalcelluliteday and #cellulit, she let the world know that she's ready to show the world the real her.
Kaitlyn Bristowe
Bachelorette star Kaitlyn Bristowe showed us all the celebrities sometimes have the same negative feelings towards their bodies as everyone else. In the caption for this snap, Bristowe shares that she 'cried' due to her visible cellulite, before deciding to go with it, and re-imagine her skin as 'cute leg dimples.'
Ashley James
Former Made in Chelsea star Ashley stopped for some real talk last week, as she shared a photo of herself on holiday in the Maldives. 'I am the happiest I've ever been living my life,' she wrote in the caption. 'I'm not depriving myself of food and drink, and I accept my ever-changing body as it gets older and wiser.' Hear, hear.
Kelly Rowland
Destiny's Child singer Kelly can do whatever she wants, because she was in Destiny's Child and those are the rules of life. We especially love this shot of the 38-year-old in a paint brush-style colourful one piece.
Chrissy Teigen
Chrissy's sharing knows no bounds, which is why the Internet can't get enough of the model, presenter and cookbook author. When it comes to embracing the whole her - 'stretchies' included - she's got it nailed.
Iskra Lawrence
UK model Iskra has always been open about how she celebrates her body as it is, and this shot from February is no exception. Like she says, 'celluLIT.'
Amy Schumer
As well as sharing her cellulite in this snap, funny woman Amy also let the world know that she 'does not regret' getting her lower back tattoo at 18. Amy, we've all been there.