Hilary Duff Opens Up About Her Body Image Struggles While Posing Nude For Women’s Health: ‘I’m Proud Of My Body’

Hilary Duff recently opened up to Women’s Health magazine about her past body image struggles while posing nude for their May/June 2022 cover.

While the “How I Met Your Father” star may now feel comfortable enough in her skin to bare it all on the cover of a magazine, she says it didn’t always used to be this way; growing up Hollywood had damaging effects on her self-image. “Because of my career path, I can’t help but be like, ‘I am on camera and actresses are skinny,” she confessed.

The mother of three even admitted that she struggled with an eating disorder at just 17 years old, explaining that she was “obsessed” with everything she ate. “It was horrifying,” Duff said. We feel so sad for her!

Now, though, the former “Lizzie McGuire” star seems to be in a much better place. “I’m proud of my body. I’m proud that it’s produced three children for me,” the 34-year-old told Women’s Health. “I’ve gotten to a place of being peaceful with the changes my body has gone through.”

The actress says she’s “gained a lot of respect” for her body. “It’s taken me all the places I need to go, it’s helped me build a beautiful family,” she listed.

Duff made one more thing clear: she got a lot of help when it came to posing nude, emphasizing that many things went on behind the scenes in order for her to look so fantastic. “I also want people to know a makeup artist was there putting glow all over my body and someone put me in the most flattering position,” she clarified. Her honesty is commendable!

The cover star also opened up about the role of mental health and therapy in her life, noting that she believes going to therapy to keep her mental well-being in check is just as important as keeping her body and looks in shape. “We get facials and Botox and our hair done and highlights and lash lifts and all this, but I want to work on the inside,” she said. We couldn’t agree more!

When the cover was finally shown to the public, Duff shared it to Instagram with a caption that said, “Sooooo, this was scary. I knew doing this would terrify me and I was right! @womenshealthmag had the most lovely all-women shoot and I actually had the best time.”

She went on to say that despite how scary it was, she “felt strong and beautiful and laughed a lot getting into some of these poses without my high waisted mom jeans and oversized whatever I normally wear.”

Finally, Duff thanked everyone involved. “Thank you to everyone who normalized this day for me and propped me up with compliments and love. @nikkilee901 you worked your butt off! @kdeenihan I live for the no make up/make up look you give me. @daniellamidenge I love these photos so much, thank you for capturing a moment in time where I felt both completely vulnerable but powerful.”

We’re so glad Duff took this leap of vulnerability, opened up, and showed off her gorgeous body—and we can’t wait to see what she does next!