Ariel Winter Gets Cheeky in Revealing Thong Bikini as She Rings in the New Year

Ariel Winter is kicking off the new year with confidence.

The Modern Family actress, 21, who has dealt with her fair share of internet body shamers in the past, proudly embraced her curves in her first Instagram post of 2020.

On New Year’s Day, Winter shared a Boomerang clip on her feed wearing cheeky thong bikini bottoms with a long-sleeve crop top as she stood at the edge of the water. The star faced the view, as she shot a flirty glimpse back at the camera while holding up a quick peace sign.

“✌🏼2020✌🏼#happynewyear ✌🏼,” Winter captioned the Instagram post.

Towards the end of 2019, Winter opened up about how trying new combinations of antidepressant medications caused her to lose weight faster than she wanted.

“Years ago, it was hard because I’d go to the gym with my trainer and because of my antidepressant medications I never saw results,” Winter told Women’s Health. But once she “was able to find a great combination,” they “turned back on my metabolism” and the star lost weight “really quickly” — even though that wasn’t her goal.

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“I’ve always had curves and I like having curves” — but there were plenty of benefits. When I changed meds, and started feeling better about myself mentally, losing weight was helpful because it made me feel like I wasn’t just stuck,” she told the magazine. “I hate being stuck anywhere in life.”

In April, she conducted a Q&A on her Instagram Stories and answered fans’ questions about her new look, admitting that she missed one thing — her curves.

“While I feel better mentally with the change, and it’s nice to work out and have your body actually respond, but I want to gain a few pounds of muscle and get healthier,” she said. “Also want my butt back…”

Despite her honesty, Winter still encountered negative comments from internet trolls, but she works hard at not letting it affect her and has defended her right to bare her body online.

“If you want to wear a short skirt and show your body like I do, it doesn’t mean you’re a whore. And it doesn’t mean you’re not one,” Winter previously told The Hollywood Reporter.

She continued: “People call me stupid because I post photos of my butt when the real thing is, I love my butt. I love butts! Why stifle yourself because other people can’t handle it?”