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Ariel Winter On Body Shaming, Media Scrutiny, And Puberty On-Screen

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 22:31 PST, Feb 15, 2017

Ariel Winter is heartily tired of body shaming, and has taken major steps to stop worrying about what people think of her.

Even though on the surface she leads an enviable life as a teen celebrity, actress, and voice artist in many television sitcoms, commercials, and children’s shows, Ariel Winter has led a tumultuous personal life because of her strained relationship with her abusive mother. The relationship became so strained that Winter Ariel was emancipated by the court, and now is under the legal guardianship of her older sister, Shanelle Workman.

The Modern Family actress earned fame and fortune at a very young age and she is often seen enjoying a lavish lifestyle by buying property, driving luxurious cars, and enjoying vacations in exotic locations. However, her lavish lifestyle hasn’t been enough to eradicate the stressful memories she has with regard to her upbringing. Ariel Winter has also been a victim of body-shaming, frequently encountering online bullies who have criticized her appearance and outfits on social media.

The actress admitted that, while it took some effort, she finally managed to stop placing so much importance on social media comments that had criticized her appearance. Previously, Ariel Winter was criticized on social media for being too thin when she acted in ABC’s Modern Family. Later, the Excision actress was criticized for being too fat for her age. Eventually, Ariel Winter’s self-esteem plummeted when she could no longer take the comments which labeled her as a “sl*t” and “ugly.”

In order to impress her fans and social media followers, the Modern Family actress tried to lose weight rapidly by resorting to crash diets. Despite her best efforts, the body shaming continued, and the actress realized that it was up to her to make the decision to stop giving any importance to the negative remarks of her so-called “fans.” According to Glamour, Ariel Winter appeared on the panel of Los Angeles’ Glamour’s Women of the Year Summit and spoke about how she found happiness by being on her own.

“I realized when I was 16 and a half or so that I had wasted so much time trying to please everyone else. I had to take that time to be happy… and I really did. It was the best decision I ever made.”

Ariel Winter also looks up to celebrities like Kim Kardashian as an effective role model of body positivity. The Modern Family actress is fond of the Kardashian family, and especially Caitlyn Jenner who confidently revealed that she is transgender. Ariel Winter earlier shared a photo of herself taken alongside Caitlyn at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards ceremony and revealed that she was overjoyed to learn that Caitlyn considers her like a daughter. Jenner, the former Olympic swimming champion, came out as a transgender woman without worrying about the consequences and media reaction.

Self magazine reported that, after eight seasons of the highly successful TV sitcom Modern Family, Ariel Winter has spent her entire adolescence in the spotlight.

Going through puberty under the watchful eyes of the media would be tough for anyone, but it was particularly difficult for Winter, who said that when she started acting on Modern Family she was “stick thin” with “no chest” and “no butt,” but that it all changed seemingly overnight.

“I was a D cup and had a bigger butt, and my waist was expanding. Everything was getting bigger. I automatically got this hate and judgment online.”

The Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred actress was one of the participants of the We Are Digital Girls panel discussion at the 2016 Glamour Women of the Year Summit.

It appears that Ariel Winter is truly influenced by Jenner and the Kardashian family at large because she has decided to boldly air her views on social media without fearing the remarks of her online followers. According to People magazine, the young actress spoke about how happy she feels after speaking her mind on social media.

“I don’t police what I post [on social media] because I think it’s unnecessary. I don’t care. I post what I like. I post what’s going to make me happy.”

Ariel Winter also loves to build her body confidence by flaunting her physical features that make her feel attractive. According to Hollywood Life, an inside source remarked that the Modern Family actress has realized that another way to build her self-esteem is to show off her body in ways that feel empowering to her.

“Showing off her body and booty is very liberating for her because for her it is the one thing she can do on her own terms, It is something that she will continue because she feels good after she does it.”

[Featured Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]

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kim kardashian modern family ariel winter Caitlyn Jenner
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