Hilary Duff is letting the world see her in her most natural state for her latest magazine spread.
On the cover of Women’s Health, the How I Met Your Father actress posed nude, opening up in the mag about how she’s learned to embrace her body over the years.
As someone who has been in the spotlight for so long, Duff admitted the “horrifying” pressure to be a certain size as a young actress on television resulted in her battle with an eating disorder at 17. Now, at 34, she’s gotten to a point where she’s fully accepting her body--regardless of whether it lives up to Hollywood’s standards.
“I’m proud of my body,” Hilary told the publication. “I’ve gotten to a place of being peaceful with the changes my body has gone through.”
“I think that at 34 I have just gained a lot of respect for my body,” said the mother of three, who has daughters Mae, 13 months, and Banks, 3, and son Luca, 10. “It’s taken me all of the places I need to go. It’s helped me build a beautiful family. I feel like the older I get, the more confident I get in my own skin. And my body’s been many different shapes and sizes and I’m really just fascinated by, one, being a woman. And two, all the changes that your body can go through throughout your lifetime.”
As for becoming a mom, Duff admitted that she didn’t fully accept her body until she had her daughter Banks, realizing that she was “powerful” by becoming a mom again after going through a divorce.
“I do feel lucky in the mental health department where I haven’t had huge hurdles to get over, but just like everyone else I have my issues, my insecurities, pain,” she said. “Therapy helps me a lot. I try to do a Zoom with my therapist at least twice a month, if not more, if I need it. But I think just talking and having the right people around you that can truly listen when you need them to, [and] taking space for yourself.”
Upon the magazine’s online release today, the Lizzie McGuire alum posted the photos to her Instagram, admitting just how scary it was to bare it all for the photoshoot. But, in the end, she’s glad she did something that scared her.
“Sooooo, this was scary….. I knew doing this would terrify me and I was right,” Duff wrote in her caption. “@womenshealthmag had the most lovely all-women shoot and I actually had the best time. I 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. Thank you to everyone who normalized this day for me and propped me up with compliments and love.”
Hilary’s issue of Women’s Health hits stands on May 24.