Celebrities are considered some of the most beautiful people in the world — and there are countless lists to back up that fact. We might think that stars are incredibly blessed with amazing genes and consider them to be the definition of #flawless, but they are people. Just like the rest of us, they can struggle with insecurities, too.
Some celebrities are more private and choose to keep their feelings to themselves. Others go in the complete opposite direction and want to show that no matter how rich, famous, or adored, they’re not non-stop confidence machines. Have a look at 17 celebrities who got real about self-esteem and their insecurities.
17. Mindy Kaling
Mindy Kaling is gorgeous, hilarious and someone who always keeps it real. In her books, she has opened up about the pressure to look a certain way in Hollywood. In Why Not Me?, she got candid about seeing herself on a “Curvy Celebs We Adore” list and wondered why she was on it when other people were different sizes than her. It made her realize her own insecurities. “The absurdity of wanting a magazine to have stricter criteria for their piece about non-skinny celebrities was embarrassing and sad,” she wrote. “I’m not proud of the moment, but it’s an example of when I, too, have fallen victim to my own insecurities.”
16. Maisie Williams
Maisie Williams is part of one of the most successful franchises thanks to her role of Arya Stark on Game of Thrones, but she has already expressed concerns about getting future roles based on her looks. She told The Irish Times, “It’s only now I’m starting to realize the characters that are available to me because of the way I look and the characters that aren’t available to me. It’s a very shallow industry. And I don’t look like someone who is cast in roles that are, well, sexualized.”
15. Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde is frequently described as beautiful, stylish and with a gorgeous set of chiseled abs, but even a goddess like Olivia has felt she wasn’t pretty enough. She told Marie Claire that when she met her future husband Jason Sudeikis, she didn’t think she was enough. “I thought, he won’t be interested in me; I’m not a contender. I’m not beautiful enough or his type,” she revealed. That’s insane considering Jason Sudeikis definitely hit the jackpot with this one!
14. Khloe Kardashian
The Kardashians are frequently the subject of a lot of media attention — some of it good and some of it not-so-good. Khloe Kardashian was often negatively compared to her sisters and in an episode of her show Revenge Body, she told one of the women on the show how she has long felt insecure about being compared to her siblings because she was the “taller” and “chubbier” one. “I always had blonde, really curly hair and when you’re young and you’re chubby and tall … I would have teachers be like ‘Oh, you’re Kourtney and Kim’s sister?'”
13. Jordin Sparks
Jordin Sparks is a gorgeous woman with one of the brightest smiles in Hollywood, but she has struggled with insecurities. “I’m still learning to love my body every day, but I’ve realized I have to accentuate the positive — like my curves and my waist,” reported Glamour. “As much as people talk about it, it does make me stand out from the other celeb girls out there.” She added to People, “I have stretch marks behind my legs and on my back. I call them my tiger stripes. And I’m good with my thighs touching. I grew up in a family where we have meat on our bones and I’m used to that.”
12. Lucy Hale
Lucy Hale was a part of the smash hit Pretty Little Liars for eight years. Some would think being on a show associated with the word “pretty” would give her confidence, but she admitted to Seventeen while filming that it sometimes made her feel insecure. “I work with really tall girls. I’m five-foot-two,” she said “When you’re surrounded by people you’re told are beautiful and look the way you ‘should’ look, as a young girl, you wonder, ‘Well, what’s wrong with me?'” She also has spoken out about struggling with an eating disorder in the past.
11. Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence is frequently considered a breath of fresh air in Hollywood thanks to her candid answers and comments. In a cover story for ELLE magazine she said, “I eat like a caveman. I’ll be the only actress who doesn’t have anorexia rumors. In Hollywood, I’m obese. I’m considered a fat actress.” She admits that she wouldn’t starve for a role, but still experiences certain hang ups. During a recent interview on The Ellen Show, she talked about doing the liberating nude seen in Red Sparrow, but admitted she was concerned about them having the heat on set because she thought her nipples were going to be “huge.”
10. Kylie Jenner
Another Kardashian-Jenner makes it onto the list. This time it’s Kylie Jenner. If you think back a few years, there were many rumors about Kylie getting lip injections. She eventually admitted to having them at 16 and opened up about how she had always felt self-conscious about her mouth to Cosmopolitan. She said her lips “have been an insecurity of [hers] all [her] life.” She recounted a kissing incident in middle school that linked to it. “This guy I kissed was like, ‘Your lips are really small but you’re a really good kisser. I didn’t think you were gonna be good at kissing.'” After feeling like no one wanted to kiss her, she became more self-conscious, she said and thus contributed to her decision to get cosmetic enhancements.
9. Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham is an extremely successful fashion designer, has an adorable family and was Posh Spice in the Spice Girls, but evenshe has struggled with her looks. In 2016, she wrote an open letter to herself in British Vogue, where she talked about “not being the prettiest” and feeling “chubby.” She wrote about how she would dress a certain way to ~flatter~ her body type and said she thought she sometimes looked like a drag queen. She also said to her younger self, “You think the principal has put you at the back of the end-of-year show (in a humiliatingly bright purple Lycra leotard) because you are too plump to go at the front. (This may or may not be true.)”
8. Chrissy Teigen
Chrissy Teigen can always be counted on for keeping it real. She has spread body positive messages on social media, but even the model has her own insecurities. Glamour reported that Chrissy said at Beautycon how photo apps have negatively impacted her. “There have been times I’ve cried to John, where I felt like I would just never have ‘that’ body,” she said. “I’ve definitely been really upset with … you know, everyone has a butt now, everyone has curves, and a little waist, and that’s not me.” She added, “My old ass will go on social media, and I will look at the Photoshopping, Facetuning and the apps — and everything that goes into creating what is now a hit Instagram photo — and I feel insanely inadequate.” But, she said she is working on doing her own thing.
7. Anna Kendrick
Anna Kendrick is another person keeping it real in Hollywood and the world wouldn’t be the same without her. We can always count on her for hilarious, spot-on commentary, but she also has a vulnerable side. She told Allure, “I get insecure about everything. I’m still bewildered when people know my name or my face. I can’t figure out what they would possibly want to talk to me for.” She told Marie Claire that the most common thing she gets about her looks is “‘Am I the only one who doesn’t think that Anna Kendrick is pretty?'” she explained, “And you’re like, ‘No, you’re not the only one. Arguably, all of the boys in my high school agree with you.'”
6. Karlie Kloss
Karlie Kloss is one of the most successful supermodels around. Not to mention that she has a lot of side gigs. We might think that her life is perfect, but she has insecurities, too – just like everyone does. She told ELLE UK, “Believe me, the person you think is perfect and has it all sees many imperfections in themselves.” It turns out the things that have helped make her a model are also things she’s insecure about. She said, “For as long as I can remember, I’ve been insecure about my height, broad shoulders, wide hips, being tall and long. Those are things I can’t change. It still takes effort to remember life is all about self-love and that everyone has insecurities.” So true, girl!
5. Viola Davis
We see Viola Davis as a fierce, strong and confident woman, but she told People it was a long time before she felt confident in herself. She said, “At first, I just wanted to try really hard to make people see that I was pretty, that I wasn’t just the drug addict from Antoine Fisher, so it was about proving something to someone.” She also recounted how she was “overweight and very, very shy” in high school.
4. Bella Hadid
Bella Hadid is one of the hottest supermodels on the planet at the moment. It’s rare to find a magazine cover, runway and ad campaign she isn’t a part of. But, did you know that she didn’t feel confident about her looks until recently? She told Cosmopolitan, “Growing up, I was always self-conscious about my brows but I never knew that you could do something about it.” She also went on to talk about her face, “I was also kind of chubbier growing up until I was 15, so there were a lot of things I had to grow into — I definitely had to grow into my face a lot. I wasn’t very secure with myself until recently.” Who would have thought?
3. Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba is another one who has appeared on a number of sexiest women alive and most beautiful people lists, but she struggled when she was younger. During an interview with The Meredith Vieira Show, she said, “My teens and my 20s I just wasn’t sure of myself and I was always kind of insecure and I always felt I needed to apologize for myself.” She also said in a Marie Claire interview that she felt she used to have chubby cheeks and didn’t know how to do her makeup. It was actually having kids and turning 30 that gave her more confidence.
2. Megan Fox
Yes, that’s right. The beautiful Megan Fox has insecurities, too, and she has opened up about them. In 2009, she told Cosmopolitan, “I’m very confident in how I project my personality, but in terms of how I look, I’m completely, hysterically insecure,” she admitted. “I’m self-loathing, introverted and neurotic.” In 2012, she told Miami magazine that she felt ostracized and was picked on. She revealed, “I was never the pretty girl.” That’s refreshing and annoying in equal doses, TBH.
1. Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato is a very open celebrity who has been candid about her struggles. In addition to speaking out about addiction, eating disorders and sobriety, she has also talked about body insecurities. In January 2018, Demi shared a photo on Instagram and admitted that she felt insecure about her legs. But, she wanted to turn the situation around. “I’m posting it because I look so happy and this year I’ve decided I’m letting go of my perfectionism and embracing freedom from self-criticism,” she wrote. “Learning to love my body the way it is challenging but life-changing.”