At the SAG Awards, teen actress Ariel Winter reinforced an important notion of body image: There is absolutely no shame in owning your scars. The 18-year-old has publicly spoken about the breast reduction surgery she underwent last year, which left her with demarcations as she is—gasp!—human. Cut to the SAGs red carpet: While many took to social media to share positive observations about her appearance, it seems others expressed their wishes that she cover her scars, to which she replied via Twitter: “There is a reason I didn’t make an effort to cover up my scars! They are part of me and I’m not ashamed of them at all.” While it irks us that she felt she had to make a statement in response to the cyber bullies (Internet trolls are gonna troll), we applaud her for continuing to shed light on an important aspect of self-love in a time of over-photoshopping and idealistic standards. It’s always encouraging when celebrities use their voice for good, and this recent, graceful example serves as further proof that you should never have to apologize—or cover up—perceived imperfections to satisfy anyone other than yourself. Bravo, Ariel.
