20 Inspiring Body Positive Moments of 2016

From ELLE

Let's be honest: 2016 was definitely not the best year for politics, celeb deaths, or women's health (and that's not even the half of it, TBH), but there's no denying that this year was amazing for the body positivity community. From groundbreaking magazine covers to legendary clapbacks, here are the best body posi moments of 2016.

1. Chrissy Teigen Gets Real About Her Post-Baby Body

The show host and supermodel shared multiple stretch mark photos and told Allure ,"I come from a stretch mark-prone family - I have them all over my butt and inner thighs. Luckily, I'm with a man who could not care less about them or else I would be insecure, but during my pregnancy, it was my belly I was scared of. I knew I'd have to do something about it before I started seeing them." She was proof that even celebrities get self conscious, too.

2. Lane Bryant Drops Sexy "This Body" Campaign Commercial

Lane Bryant was the body posi brand of the year! Their "This Body" commercial starred Ashley Graham, Precious Lee, and Tara Lynn. In their ad the models state that their plus-size bodies are made for "love," "proving them wrong," "style," and more.

3. Danielle Brooks Calls Out ANTM for Lack of Body Diversity

The actress took to Instagram to say, "After watching #ANTM last night I was super excited to see my girl Ashley Graham but bummed out not to see any plus contestants. A curvy judge but no curvy contestants? 😕 Out of all 28 girls not one was plus."

4. Hilaria Baldwin Shows Off Belly a Day After Giving Birth

Everyone was in awe when the famously fit yoga guru bared all just 24 hours after giving birth to her third child. She wrote, "It always makes me a bit nervous to do something like this, but I feel that in the age of such strong body shaming, I want to do all that I can to normalize a real body and promote healthy self esteem." Her bravery inspired others to embrace their post-pregnancy bodies.

5. Emily Ratajkowski and Kim Kardashian Post a Topless Selfie

Kim Kardashian received a ton of backlash and shaming from Twitter trolls and other celebrities after Instagraming a naked mirror pic, with the caption "When you're like I have nothing to wear LOL." Model Emily Ratajowski came to Kim's aid on Twitter, posting this photo saying, "However sexual our bodies may be, we need to hve the freedom as women to choose whn & how we express our sexuality."

6. Christian Siriano Casts 5 Plus-Sized Models in NYFW Show

Siriano has a reputation for inclusiveness when it comes to his designs, but nevertheless, he pleasantly surprised everyone when he sent 5 gorgeous plus-sized models down the catwalk of his NYFW show in September. "I am just trying to show you that you can do it, you can celebrate everyone," Siriano said. "The clothes looked just as amazing on [the plus models] as everyone else. It is so great to see, they rocked it."

7. Aerie Makes Body Posi Ad Spoof

Aerie's #AerieMan campaign warmed everyone's heart when it celebrated body diversity amongst men and women―and then confused everyone when Aerie announced that the whole thing was an April Fool's spoof. Was the brand poking fun at its own image or at less inclusive brands? But in the end, people decided that spoof or not, the campaign still ended up shedding light on body positivity for men and were thankful for it.

8. Ariel Winter Claps Back at Grad Dress Haters

After graduating high school, the Modern Family star posted this sexy pic on Instgram. Instead of congratulatory comments, she was met with mean remarks about how her dress fit inappropriately. She responded on Twitter by saying, "Dear sorry body-shamers, I looked HOT in that dress. And if you hate it, don't buy it. But please get a hobby. XOXO Ariel #EmbraceYourBody."

9. Demi Lovato Snaps Her Imperfections

The Confident singer, who struggled with an eating disorder in the past, wowed us all with a series of snaps that embraced her body.

10. Aly Raisman Thanks the Boys Who Body Shamed Her in High School

The Olympian made everyone proud when she Instagrammed, "Shoutout to all the boys from 5th-9th grade who made fun of me for being "too strong". Thanks for forcing me to learn to love myself and my body. My muscular arms that were considered weird and gross when I was younger have made me one of the best gymnasts on the planet. Don't ever let anyone tell you how you should or shouldn't look. There is no such thing as a perfect body type."

11. Gabi Gregg A.K.A. GabiFresh Launches Plus-Size Swim Line

Gabi Gregg launched a new swimwear line with in sizes 12-24 D/DD and 18-24 in E/F and G/H. She said, "that's always been my goal, to just make sure that people my size also have really cute options and not just the matronly, traditional things that we've had in the past."

12. Tess Holliday Shares Breastfeeding Photos

Plus-size model, body activist, and fashion designer Tess Holliday gave birth to her second child this year and filled our timelines with loads of adorable breastfeeding photos that not only promote body positivity, but also encourage the normalization of public feeding.

13. Lena Dunham And Jemima Kirke's Lingerie Campaign

The Girls cast members starred in a Lonely Lingerie campaign baring body hair, tattoos, stomach rolls and other fabulous assets that society often encourages women to hide.

14. Zendaya Slams Body Shamer After The Kid's Choice Awards

After being body shamed by Difficult star Julie Klausner, who said she was a "thinspo model for your impressionable tweens," and "you don't have to have an eating disorder to attend the Kids' Choice Awards....but it helps!" Zendaya fired back with this: "Now....everyone go look in the mirror at their beautiful body, and love that shit #thickgirlswinning #skinnygirlswinning#weallwinnin."

15. Jessamyn Stanley Declared 2016 the Year of the Fat Handstand

Throughout the entire year, yogi Jessamyn Stanley used Instagram to show us that yoga can be for every body. Her followers were super inspired when she took to Instagram to own one of her most famous poses, saying, "Speaking of fat, I'm making 2016 the year of the fat #handstand- I finally feel like making this grand posture a bigger part of my life."

16. Ashley Graham Is SI's First Plus-Size Cover Model

Ashley Graham made history when she graced Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue. The body posi supermodel dedicated the cover to women everywhere, saying, "Truly speechless!!! This cover is for every woman who felt like she wasn't beautiful enough because of her size. You can do and achieve anything you put your mind to."

17. Serena Williams Gets Sexy in a Beyoncé Video

Not only was the entire Lemonade album epic, but Serena's cameo in the Lemonade music video was iconic. She was made a sex symbol when so much of the world regarded athletic bodies like her's as "undesirable."

18. Iskra Lawrence Snacks with No F*cks Given

This photo and its corresponding video have become legendary. Iskra posted this photo in response to a comment someone left on her photo, calling her a "fat cow." She captioned the pic with, "this is for everyone who has ever been called FAT," then she called out the Instagram troll and went on to say "opinions are arseholes, and everyone's got one."

19. GabiFresh, Jazmine Sullivan, Danielle Brooks, and Chrisette Michele Cover Ebony Magazine

The Internet damn near broke when GabiFresh, Jazmine Sullivan, Danielle Brooks, and Chrisette Michele graced the cover of Ebony's "Body Brigade" issue in March. Seeing these powerful plus-sized WOC all on one cover inspired women to embrace their shape and proved that sexy comes in every size.

20. Ashley Graham Gets a Curvy Barbie

Mattel created a curvy Ashley Graham Barbie doll with "thighs touching, round hips, arms and tummy!!" says Ashley. The doll's more realistic proportions challenged society's beauty standards for young girls―and was cute AF.

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