10 Before and After Pictures of Celebrities who Gained Weight & Own it

Celebrities are trendsetters. In our youth, the singers and actresses we looked up to were extremely thin, setting the tone for the rest of the world. Popular 90s models were known for being Size Zero, but over the years, we've witnessed a shift in body image and body confidence among celebrities. These 10 influential people inspire us with their weight gain - and with the confidence they radiate!

#1 Selena Gomez

Back in her Disney days, Selena Gomez was very skinny. When she told the public about her lupus disease, she explained that the medication she needs to take and the side effects of the autoimmune disease are responsible for weight fluctuations. Following her weight gain, Selena not only had to battle with the disease, but experienced cyber bullying on top. Even though she is still suffering from the disease, she now looks healthy again:

Selena Gomez Today

Despite her ongoing struggle with lupus, Selena looks so much happier today! Moreover, she's no longer afraid of showing her figure.

Selena Gomez Claps Back at Comments About Her Weight

When you're in the spotlight, you're under scrutiny all the time, especially when it comes to weight fluctuations. Selena Gomez has had to listen to criticism from the media and fans alike since becoming a Disney star, but by now the actress doesn't seem to take it seriously anymore - instead, she meets harsh criticism with indifference. "Honestly I don't care about my weight because people b*tch about it anyway … B*tch, I am perfect the way I am," she says in a TikTok story. You go, Selena!

#2 Demi Lovato

In the documentary "Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated", Lovato opened up about her difficulties with growing up in the spotlight. Having faced mental health issues, her body changed as a side effect. Today, she's stopped dieting and has gained a few extra pounds, and she feels as confident as she's never felt before. This is what Demi looks like today:

Demi Lovato Today

In an interview with people.com, Demi openly spoke about her changing body. She explained that "I’m happier because I’m not restricting myself from certain foods and I’m no longer food shaming myself.” Demi knows how to slay!

#3 Britney Spears

Britney has influenced our youth like no other. Whether it was her outfits, her makeup or the body ideal she represented, she was the role model for many young girls in the late 90s and early 2000s! Everybody wanted to look like Britney Spears, and because of a strict diet, she was very skinny during the early days of her career. By now, her body has changed a lot:

Britney Spears Today

Britney seems to have liberated herself from a strict dietary schedule and has gained a few pounds. But they look great on her and she's more than happy to show off her curves!

#4 Drew Barrymore

The beautiful actress Drew Barrymore put on a few extra pounds during her pregnancies. Fans and commentators weren't always chill about it and let her know.

What does she look like today?

Drew Barrymore Today

How incredible does she look in this red pantsuit? She looks confident and absolutely glowing. On her Instagram account, she shared her thoughts on her weight gain journey in a heartfelt comment, saying "I go up and I go down. The rollercoaster of my body is a challenging, but beautiful ride. I made two kids. The single most important purpose for me being on this planet is for them!"

#5 Christina Aguilera

Just like Britney, Christina Aguilera was a huge idol for many young girls back in the late 90s and early 2000s. She loved showing up on the red carpet in skimpy outfits and we loved checking out her latest outfits in our favorite teenage magazines. Over the years, her body has gone through a transformation. 

Christina Aguilera Today

The singer looks fantastic in this color-block ensemble! She wears the weight she has gained with confidence and we can only applaud her for it. 

#6 Vivian Hoorn

The Dutch influencer, creative director and photographer has a beautifully curated Instagram feed. She shares everything from fashion shots, funny snaps, and her two adorable cats, Lucy and Lily. On a post from April 2021, she put her very personal self-love journey into words. Her words express what many women experience growing up in a culture that constantly reinforces the ideal of a slender body. Her words hit home – she writes: "What's the difference between those two photos? The first one shows me being happy and confident in my body. Consciously enjoying life. The other photo shows me three years ago, adhering to a strict diet, being self-conscious and only focused on my body."

She continues:

Vivian Hoorn

"When I look back I think of how I felt at the time and what I said to myself at the time, 'you're not thin enough, what an ugly body.' It isn't always great to look back at it, because I also had a fantastic life. But because I was so insecure I simply couldn't really enjoy it. So that's what I'm doing now. So that I'll be able to look back and think what a happy person I was and how much I enjoyed my life."

What a beautiful message to share with the world.

#7 Rihanna

When Barbadian singer Rihanna debuted her song Pon de Replay in 2005, there was no escaping the song – it was literally everywhere and we weren't mad about it! Back then, she was very slim, as expected from virtually all female music artists.

Over the course of her career, she has blossomed into the queen we know her as today:

Rihanna Today

Rihanna has proven that she is a multi-talented powerhouse! Today, she's not only known for her singing career, she is also a successful business woman. She has launched her own fashion and beauty line called Fenty, and she only recently revealed that she is expecting her first child with partner A$AP Rocky! When the lingerie line Savage X Fenty launched, she made sure that the campaign carried a body positive message, including models with all types of bodies. When asked about body image in an interview with Vogue back in 2018, she replied: “You’ve just got to laugh at yourself, honestly. I mean, I know when I’m having a fat day and when I’ve lost weight. I accept all of the bodies. I’m not built like a Victoria’s Secret girl, and I still feel very beautiful and confident in my lingerie.” What an absolute icon.

#8 Kelly Clarkson

Ever since she won the first season of American Idol in 2002, she has had to endure negative comments about her weight. Although she clearly captured people with her expressive voice, it was often her body that was in the focus of attention. For years, she's been an advocate for the body positive movement and, honestly, it feels liberating to have a celebrity be authentic and choose to be alright with the way they look. In the end, no matter what size you are, advertising companies always find something you should change about yourself.

Here's what Clarkson looks like today:

Kelly Clarkson Today

Today, Clarkson continues to share her body positive messages on her talk show The Kelly Clarkson Show. We love that she doesn't try to hide her body under wide clothes (which would also be totally alright) but chooses to opt for clothes that highlight her shape, like this skin-tight leather dress. In Mayim Bialik's podcast Mayim Bialik's Breakdown, Clarkson opened up about her struggle to be who she really is, saying "Everybody would always micromanage everything and try to get you to be somebody that you're not, and the hardest part has been being me." Later on, she remembers a crucial experience that changed her attitude: "I was sitting in a room full of — no offense, I love men, I love older men, they're great — but I was sitting in a room full of men that were far older than me telling me what I should be like, what I should say in interviews, what I should sing, and I'm like, 'Y'all don't even listen to me. You're not even my core audience. Like, how would you know? [...] I realized in that moment, I will never please anyone. I won't. You can't please them all."

#9 P!nk

The singer has never been one to conform to society's beauty ideals. In her song Stupid Girls, she criticized some successful women for trying to look a certain way, one that is praised by US society, though unfortunately she misdirected her criticism – society should have stood in the pillory, not individual women who suffer from the pressure to conform in order to be successful in Hollywood. The idea that you have to pick between being beautiful and smart should also be outdated by now. Nevertheless, she has often been more relatable for women who didn't see themselves represented in pop culture.

What does she look like today?

P!nk Today

In an interview with Women's Health, P!nk recalls feeling uncomfortable in her own skin while shooting the video for her song Just Give Me a Reason. While she said during the interview that she was so thin back then, she absolutely didn't feel like it, wanting to conceal her body. "That's what we do to ourselves, and we should stop it. And now I'm almost 150 pounds, and I look f*cking awesome."

#10 Mariah Carey

While we all know that weight fluctuations are a normal part of being human, celebrities don't get the honor of being treated like a living, breathing being that constantly changes. Over the course of her successful career, comments about Carey's weight going up and down have been relentless.

Today, she presents herself in a very different way:

Mariah Carey Today

When she was happily married to Nick Cannon, she told a reporter: “I love to eat [...] I never knew I could be this happy – it's pure bliss.“ While she was probably talking about her marriage, eating seems to be an important ingredient to being happy for her as well. She always has and still does look fabulous.

These inspirational celebrities show us that we don't have to look a certain way to feel comfortable in the skin we're in. Who has inspired you the most?