Our relentless pursuit for physical perfection has driven us to do some pretty crazy things over the last few years. From Kim Kardashian’s viral vampire facial to CoolSculpting, where you subject your body to below zero temperatures to freeze off your fat, we think it’s safe to say we’re close to hitting peak vanity with the latest trend: non-invasive cosmetic procedures that actually help you look like your Snapchat filter. Say, what?

While there’s absolutely nothing wrong in wanting to change the way you look, because you should love everything you see in the mirror, the sad fact is that many of us do so to fit a certain aesthetic. We blow thousands of dollars to fix “imperfections” that really only exist in our heads – the concept of which got planted there in the first place thanks to the media’s power of influence. On one hand, we have your Instagram It Girls with their hair extensions, waist trainers, charcoal-brightened smiles and Juvaderm-ed lips who “set the standard” for what some consider “beautiful” these days. On the other, we have media outlets that scrutinise every pound and inch celebrities gain, and cruelly blow up images of their acne or cellulite.

It’s no wonder more and more people are suffering from everything from body dysmorphic to eating disorders. While most of us are wise and old enough to know how much Photoshop goes on behind the scenes, that isn’t to say these images of what is “beautiful” and what is “ugly” don’t still affect us subconsciously.

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Which is why it’s so refreshing that more and more celebrities are stepping up these days and using social media for good. In contrast to your perfect It Girls who never seem to have a bad hair/skin/body day, we have supermodels like Cindy Crawford who openly share how her famous mole used to cause her grief (if you can believe that), actors like Lily Allen and Lucy Hale who document their struggles with acne and singers like Adele and Demi Lovato who don’t bother subscribing to industry standards of a perfect body.

We’ve always looked towards these famous faces for inspiration for fashion, beauty and general perfection, but now they’re changing the inspiration game. They’re showing us regular folk that it’s ok to have flaws, because if they, watched by millions and living under the glass can embrace their “imperfections”, what excuse do we regular folk have for freaking out over perfectly normal things like breakouts or stretch marks? Here’s a look at 8 female celebrities who not only embrace their flaws, but seriously own it.

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Demi Lovato, who has never been afraid about sharing her struggles with drug abuse, alcoholism and bulimia has since said “screw” it to society’s standards of beautiful, aka skinny. She doesn’t care about her thigh gap. And seriously, who needs to bother about a thigh gap when you have curves like that?

Photo: ddlovato / Instagram

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Imagine a world where Cindy Crawford didn’t have her a famous mole! Can you believe she once considered getting it surgically removed because boys from her school used to tease her about it? We say, who’s laughing now?

Photo: cindycrawford / Instagram

ALSO READ: LET’S TALK ABOUT THE LATEST BEAUTY TREND: #SKINPOSITIVITY

Sassy, gorgeous and all-round relatable, Chrissy Teigen is not one to shy away from the realities of being well, a person! From her stretch marks to pre-period breakouts, we can’t get enough of her refreshing Instagram snaps. Despite looking the way she does, even she suffers from moments of insecurity. “There have been times I’ve cried to John [Legend] where I felt like I would just never have ‘that’ body.” she once said. But despite it all, she still attempts a positive attitude to embrace what she’s got. 

Photo: chrissyteigen / Instagram

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Small boobs, don’t care. Vocal powerhouse Ariana Grande is all about embracing her smaller bust, and states that it doesn’t matter whether yours are big or small – they are the way they are and you should love them regardless. We couldn’t agree more, and so do the million others on Instagram!

Photo: arianagrande / Instagram

ALSO READ: LET’S TALK ABOUT THE LATEST BEAUTY TREND: #SKINPOSITIVITY

We love model Ashley Graham for her latest campaign images. She’s bucked the norm of editing, and has insisted that all images shot must go out as is, with zero retouching. She is definitely a champion for body positivity, having posted pics of her cellulite in the past. As she says, “being authentic is beautiful”.

Photo: ashleygraham / Instagram

ALSO READ: MAKE 2018 YOUR YEAR: HERE’S 10 WAYS YOU CAN BOOST YOUR SELF-CONFIDENCE

In Asia, we’ve always perceived double eyelids to be the standard for beauty, but supermodel Liu Wen is here to bash that notion. Despite having once considered surgery to achieve double eyelids, she is glad she never went through with it. “Maybe before, double eyelids weren’t as common. I think before, people didn’t know how to treat it or make it up, so the beauty of it was judged unfairly…. I have gotten comments when people have seen pictures of me and have said, ‘Oh, a single eyelid is beautiful.’

Photo: liuwenlw / Instagram

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She is drop-dead gorgeous, but even the likes of Georgia May Jagger still faces criticism about her signature gap-toothed look. From having them edited out in photo shoots to having people on Instagram telling her to get braces, she is no stranger to the insufferable standards of beauty. Well, she clearly isn’t too bothered, considering she’s landed campaigns for major brands and rocked the runways of Chanel and Marc Jacobs – gap and all.

Photo: georgiamayjagger / Instagram

ALSO READ: MAKE 2018 YOUR YEAR: HERE’S 10 WAYS YOU CAN BOOST YOUR SELF-CONFIDENCE