Upworthy's book GOOD PEOPLE comes out on September 3, 2024 — take a look!

Shop
 Explore 

stretch marks

Chrissy Teigen has never been shy about posting her truth.

On Monday, July 30, Teigen took to Twitter to get real about body confidence.

Sharing a video of herself, Teigen honed in on her stretch marks, letting viewers know that "this is my new body."

It may be hard to imagine that someone like Teigen, a Sports Illustrated cover model, would ever not be happy with her body — especially considering how often she dispenses justice to body-shaming trolls. But after having two kids, she's dealing with the fact that her body has changed. That's hard, but she's embracing it with self-love.

Just like the rest of us, Teigen's not immune to the feelings of inadequacy seeing "killer bodies" on social media induces.

That's why — instead of posting anything filtered or photoshopped — Teigen reminded her fans that "regular ol' bodies" are beautiful.

Accepting our own bodies — whatever shape, size, color, stretch marks, or no stretch marks — is an important part of self-love.

Feeling good in your skin is a journey we're all on — even Chrissy Teigen.

From Your Site Articles

New mom shares her list of pet peeves and other parents relate - Upworthy ›

This artist's unusual paintings are helping people love their bodies.

Cinta Tort Cartró, known as Zinteta online, has always loved creating art, but she recently started using humans as her main canvas.

The 21-year-old artist, who hails from a small town in Spain, says this experiment with form started a few months ago.

In a short amount of time, it's made her internet-famous in the best way.

All photos by Zinteta, used with permission

One of her first subjects? Herself. One day while sitting in her apartment, she decided to take a brush and some paint to her stretch marks.

The result was a glorious rainbow explosion, and it had a profound impact on the way Zinteta saw her own body.

For the first time, she no longer saw her stretch marks as flaws.

It got her thinking about the pressures society puts on women and their bodies.

She decided to paint stretch marks on other women, hoping to spread her message of self-acceptance far and wide.

As an elementary school teacher, Zinteta has a front-row seat for the effect of messages girls get during their formative years — and how we might be better able to empower them.

Her work is speaking to women of all ages, all backgrounds, all sizes, and all ethnicities.

Oh — and moms! Moms are absolutely loving Zinteta's gorgeous creations.

It's no secret that pregnancy and childbirth frequently leave behind "battle scars." They can become a source of embarrassment for many moms, but Zinteta hopes she can convince women to see them differently.

"These stretch marks speak about something that is precious: bringing someone to the world," she says in an email.

Stretch marks don't only come from major changes in weight or pregnancy. They're a normal part of growing and living life.

Oh, and by the way, guys can get them too.

If anything, stretch marks are simply a sign that you're a living, breathing human.

"I think it's important to accept all of you," Zinteta told the BBC.

It's a lesson that's taken her a while to learn. She admitted in an interview with Metro that she suffered from anorexia as a teenager and never felt like her body was good enough.

Her art has helped her heal, and she's hoping it can do the same for others.

So far, it has.

"People send me lovely messages and photos about their stretch marks," she says.

Some of her fans are even painting their bodies at home as part of their journey to love themselves fully.

Zinteta is happy to be a part of what she calls, a "revolution."

Accepting ourselves for exactly who we are? That's a revolution that's far, far overdue.

Why Chrissy Teigen’s stretch-mark selfie actually matters.

Yes, she has "stretchies," and she's not afraid to show them off.

Model Chrissy Teigen's good looks are just an afterthought when it comes to why many fans adore her.

She fights back against sexist double standards, defends fellow moms from ridiculous parent-shaming, and is unashamedly a big fan of cheese.

No wonder the internet tends to be on Team Chrissy.

Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images.

But Teigen has also used her platform to promote body positivity on more than one occasion. And on Aug. 16, 2016, she did just that.

Teigen shared a photo of leg stretch marks on Snapchat, joking that her "thighs have tributaries."

It's not the first time she's shown the world what her "stretchies" look like, either.

The snap quickly spread to all corners of the internet this week, with many praising the star for being able to poke fun at herself while promoting a message of self-love.

But the best thing about the snap was seeing how it actually made a real difference to many people.

Because when celebrities share themselves with the world, people are listening.

Many fans found it refreshing to see a celebrity just being real.

Others pointed out that Teigen's snap challenges our tired, harmful definition of beauty.

And some fans simply appreciated knowing that others are in the same boat.

Because, let's be real, having anything in common with Teigen is pretty much awesome.

Some fans used the snap to point out that no one should feel ashamed of their stretch marks.

And others reiterated the idea that embracing your body is the best way to go.

Teigen's snap was the perfect example of how sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat can humanize celebs.

Social media can be superficial, silly, and even downright harmful at times. But it can also be a powerful tool for good.

When an actor opens up about his struggles with depression, it lets others know they're not alone. When a comedian shares a personal experience exposing the harsh realities of racism, it can unite communities against hate. And when models share photos of their non-Photoshopped legs, it can have a ripple effect of empowerment.

Thank you, Teigen, for being real in an industry that can feel so fake.

We all have bodies, after all, and there's no feeling quite like being comfortable in your own skin.