Over the weekend, Angela Simmons made her Miami Swim Week runway debut, and instead of sharing the news with the smoothest, filter-filled image of herself strutting, she gave the people the real deal. The socialite, reality TV personality, entrepreneur and mom shared an unfiltered image of her body in motion, staying true to her motto of ‘built not bought.’ She has been an advocate of representing for women with natural bodies of all shapes and sizes, and regularly shares videos of herself working out to stay naturally fit and in her best form. So while it wasn’t a surprise that she posted such an image for girls everywhere, it was still refreshing to see.
Simmons isn’t alone in using her platform to embrace unfiltered, natural beauty. Over the years, there have actually been a number of well-known women who decided to show it all, whether that meant unveiling acne-prone and loose skin, celebrating stretch marks and c-section scars or just showing you there’s nothing wrong with body hair. Check out some of our favorite moments of the stars giving fans and the public a peek at real bodies and beauty.
2. Keke Palmer
The star had no qualms with baring her skin, which had been through quite a bit due to PCOS, in an effort to encourage others.
3. Aja Naomi King
The actress, who recently gave birth to her first child, put on an unfiltered photoshoot at home to celebrate what her body was able to accomplish — postpartum pantand all.
4. Zendaya
After a magazine she appeared in years ago attempted to slim down Zendaya’s back, the then-burgeoning star shared the original photos on her Instagram to make it clear she’s just fine with her body, and everyone else should be comfortable with theirs, too.
5. Lizzo
The musician teamed up with Dove to share a natural photo of herself, no makeup and no clothes, to get others to not feel the pressure to look a certain way because of what they see on social media.
6. Mara Brock Akil
The TV writer, producer and mother proudly put attention on her stomach, which carried two boys and happened to look damn good in this dress.
7. Allyson Felix
Representing for mothers, athletes and women in general, Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix got the word out about her brand, Saysh, by sharing a photo of herself recently showing off her C-section scar.
8. Chidera Egguere
The popular British writer and #SaggyBsMatter creator has always been outspoken about women not being afraid of to love on their bodies in their natural state, including with full pubic hair.
9. Wendy Williams
While other people have tried to crack jokes about Wendy Williams’s body, that hasn’t scared her away from giving people a glimpse at the reality of it. The talk show host, who deals with lymphedema in her legs and feet, shared a very raw, real and unbothered photo of swelling in her feet (see second slide) to let people know how she’s managing her condition.
10. Ajani Russell
One of the stars of the HBO hit comedy Betty, now in its second season, beauty Ajani Russell posed in Nylon Germany with some help from her body hair.
This Article Was First Published on essence.com
