Lifestyle Health Best Body Positive Celebrity Moments of 2016 By Gabrielle Olya Published on December 21, 2016 01:23 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos 01 of 11 Amy Schumer Defends Her Body After Being Called Too Fat to Play Barbie George Pimentel/WireImage The comedian, 35, spoke out against critics after it was announced that she may play Barbie in a live-action movie. "Is it fat shaming if you know you're not fat and you have no shame in your game?" Schumer posted on Instagram in December. "I don't think so. I am strong and proud of how I live my life and say what I mean and fight for what I believe in and I have a blast doing it with the people I love." 02 of 11 Aly Raisman Thanks Boys Who Teased Her for Being Muscular D Dipasupil/Getty The Olympic gymnast, 22, called out people who made fun of her in the past, and had body-positive advice for her followers. "Shoutout to all the boys from 5th to 9th grade who made fun of me for being 'too strong.' Thanks for forcing me to learn to love myself and my body," she posted on Instagram in November. "My muscular arms that were considered weird and gross when I was younger have made me one of the best gymnasts on the planet. Don't ever let anyone tell you how you should or shouldn't look. There is no such thing as a perfect body type." 03 of 11 Ashley Graham Hits Back at Shamers Who Accused Her of Losing Weight Jackie Brown/Splash News Online The curvy model has been constantly criticized for her weight, but in August she set the record straight after commenters accused her of looking too thin and being a backstabber to the plus-size community. "The reality is I haven't lost a pound this year," Graham, 28, wrote in a Lenny Letter. "In fact, I'm actually heavier than I was three years ago, but I accept my body as it is today. I work out not to lose weight but to maintain my good health." "I refuse to let others dictate how I live my life and what my body should look like for their own comfort," she continued. "Any neither should you. Let's worry about our own bodies." 04 of 11 Kesha Displays Her Lack of Thigh Gap The singer, 29, has struggled with body image issues in the past, but in May she was displaying nothing but confidence in a series of body positive Instagram posts. Kesha initially posted a mirror selfie wearing just an oversized T-shirt with the caption, "No thigh gap here," and followed it up with a message to anyone who commented negatively on the photo. "Bye haters and body shamers," she captioned a photo of herself looking coy and waving. "I'm hot when my ass is big. I'm hot when my ass is small. Get over it." 05 of 11 Amber Riley Says She Loves the Fact That Her 'Ass Is Fat' Daniel Deme/WENN The Glee star, 30, went on a painkiller-fueled rant after undergoing dental surgery in May and took her body shamers to task. "I've got some things to get off my chest," said Riley in an Instagram video. "Why does me being fat offend so many people? Is it because I'm confident and I'm fly and I'm sexy? [...] Let my big ass live! I let ya'll live! I love all colors, shapes and sizes. So just so you know, when you come on here and you call me fat, it's not an insult. My ass is fat, and the fellas love it, and so do I. So eat it." 06 of 11 Dascha Polanco Embraces Her Thighs Ilya S. Savenok/Getty The Orange Is the New Black star, 34, wore just a bodysuit and a duster jacket to attend the Blonds' New York Fashion Week show, proudly showing off her thighs after some initial hesitation. "I'm so self-conscious about them, but f--- it, this is me, this is who I am, this is real," she told Vanity Fair. "I was made this way." 07 of 11 Ariel Winter Slams Haters Who Criticized Her Curve-Hugging Graduation Dress Source Instagram The Modern Family star, 18 received a lot of hate after sharing a photo of her form-fitting high school graduation dress, but Winter defended her wardrobe choice. "Dear sorry body shamers, I looked HOT in that dress. And if you hate it, don't buy it," she tweeted in June. "But please get a hobby. XOXO Ariel #EmbraceYourBody." 08 of 11 Tess Holliday Fights Back Against Commenters Who Body Shamed Her During Her Pregnancy S Meddle/ITV/REX/Shutterstock The curvy model — who gave birth to her second child Bowie Juniper in June — stood up to body shamers who commented that she is harming her baby because of her size. "What I've had to learn to be okay with (which is not cool) is the fact that people still think it's okay to comment on my body, 'You don't look pregnant,' 'You must be having quadruplets,' 'You are putting your baby at risk' and a slew of other uneducated statements that are very far from my reality," Holliday, 31, shared on Instagram while 32 weeks pregnant. "I'm part of a small minority that's telling you it's okay to not have a perfect baby bump, or not show at all, to be plus-size and have a healthy child, and most importantly to find a care provider that doesn't shame you about your size." 09 of 11 Lena Dunham Refuses to Be Photoshopped The Girls star, 30, said she no longer wants any images taken of her to be altered after seeing a photo of herself she felt was overly retouched on the cover of Spanish magazine Tenataciones. "[I'm] done with allowing images that retouch and reconfigure my face and body to be released into the world," Dunham wrote in a Lenny Letter in March. "The gap between what I believe and what I allow to be done to my image has to close now. [...] I bid farewell to an era when my body was fair game." 10 of 11 Iskra Lawrence Strips Down on a Subway to Send a Message About Self Love Nicholas Hunt/Getty The body positive activist and model, 26, stripped down to her underwear while riding in a crowded subway car and talked to passengers about why it's so important to love and appreciate your own body. "Every single one of us has so much value and so much worth that is so much more than just skin," Lawrence said in a YouTube video that captured the empowering speech. "You deserve to love yourself. You deserve to feel comfortable and confident." 11 of 11 Danielle Brooks Proudly Bares Her 'Tummy' Craig Barritt/Getty The Orange Is the New Black star, 27, shared an selfie in August in which she wears a purple stomach-baring shirt and jeans. "This weather will NOT win over the #thickgirls!" Brooks captioned the Instagram photo. "Might not be small but I'm hot!! Literally and figuratively."