Hilary Duff was enjoying a vacation with her son when a swimsuit photo ended up putting her body under scrutiny. In the image, taken in 2017, the actress appeared with her back to the camera, carrying little Luca and revealing the natural cellulite on her butt and thighs.
The image sparked comments about the supposed “flaws” in her figure, and Duff decided to respond directly to the body shaming.
“Since websites and magazines love sharing celebrities’ “flaws,” well, I have them!”, wrote the star of Lizzie McGuire at the time.
Hilary was 29 and had become a mother five years earlier. Instead of trying to hide those marks, she embraced everything her body had done for her. She remembered that it had given her “the greatest gift” of her life, her son Luca, and noted that she felt healthy.
She also used the moment to address other women and mothers, encouraging them to feel proud of their bodies and stop wasting time wishing they were “different, better, and without flaws”.
And for those who insisted on judging her appearance, Duff saved her sharpest response: she ended the message with the hashtag “#kissmyass”, which can be translated as “kiss my ass”.
Years later, that photograph still carries a simple message: the cellulite some used to shame her was precisely what Hilary chose to show without apologizing.