Note: This post contains a brief mention of suicidal ideation.
We’ve heard some fun stories recently about Sarah Hyland’s engagement to Wells Adams: In September, Sarah visited Ellen’s show and chatted with guest host Dax Shepard about her beautiful Lorraine Schwartz engagement ring. She picked it out, so she got exactly what she wanted. A few days later, Sarah shared a really sweet picture of the two of them and said that she regretted that she didn’t take any pictures on their first date.
Sarah’s had a lot to celebrate lately and it’s great to see her happy! She’s had some not-so-hot days, too. Sarah was born with kidney dysplasia, which occurs when either one or both kidneys don’t form properly in utero. She revealed this in 2017, after people attacked her appearance on Instagram. That same year, she had to undergo a second kidney transplant (with a donation from her brother) after her body began to reject the kidney donated by her father in 2012. In 2018, she shared a photo on National Selfie Day from a hospital bed for undisclosed treatment. Sarah has also shared that she had contemplated suicide before that second transplant.
On Saturday, Sarah shared on Instagram a photo taken by a photographer that she said she “hated,” (that’s above) writing:
To my fellow #invisibleillness warriors. It’s ok to be insecure about your body. Just remember to check in with yourself at least once a day and say thank you. Our bodies have endured unfathomable feats that our minds barely have time to comprehend what has actually happened. With inflammation, excess water gain, and medications, my skin has a hard time bouncing back. I saw this picture and HATED it but quickly readjusted my attitude and decided to celebrate it. Love yourself and be patient. We are all stronger than we think we are.
[From Sarah Hyland’s Instagram]
I appreciate so much all of the conversations happening around body acceptance, but I also love Sarah’s comment that “it’s ok to be insecure about your body,” too. If I think about it, some days, sure, I’ll try to pay myself a compliment, or banish a negative thought that’s creeping in, but at other times, I just feel like garbage and think I look terrible, and I want to sit with that for a bit. I don’t want to wallow, but I don’t want to dismiss what I’m feeling. I’m glad that Sarah was able to adjust her attitude to celebrate her body, because I think that that’s often a useful exercise. But, it’s also OK to acknowledge that, even if you are actively accepting your body most of the time, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have days where you feel crappy about it. It’s funny, because looking at this picture, I see the areas of skin that I assume Sarah is referring to, but I still think it’s a nice photo!
Yesterday, Sarah’s birthday, her TV mom, Julie Bowen shared the photo again with a large pink heart draw over Sarah’s midsection, and a really sweet note:
Sarah’s fiance, Wells Adams, also wrote her a very sweet message along a photo of them kissing by the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Happy Birthday, Sarah!
Photos credit: WENN and via Instagram
I think the message about having insecurities but trying to be kind is a great way to approach body insecurity, and I think she is so pretty!
I had surgery a month ago to deal with some things my body has been through (miscarriages, fibroids, horrific periods that kept me home for days on end), and it appears to have worked (yay!) but the last 3-4 months sidelined me from working out and created weight gain as well as bloating from the medication. Now that I’m completely clear of everything, I really want to get my muscle tone back and lose the 15 lbs I picked up, and I’m trying to be kind to myself around this whole process, instead of trying to starve my body into submission. Her post was a good reminder.
Happy to hear the treatment(s) worked!
Recovery is tough. It didn’t happen overnight, and it won’t go away overnight. Be gentle with yourself. Starving yourself will only make everything worse (don’t ask me how I know).
Self care is sexy! Keep it up and best of luck!
🙂
Thanks for sharing that Liz. I had a surgery too and hoping to be back at the gym at 6 weeks and you nailed my fear. I hate that ingrained fear, when I wish it was all about staying strong – although that’s a big part too. I’ve lost some weight, from not being able/feeling like eating. Now to try and incorporate healthy foods and not get into yo-yo-ing. Probably an overshare of my fears and trends with my poor habits. I cheer you on.
p.s. Hufflepuffs had Cedric, so they’re one of my favorite houses. 🙂
Everyone has insecurities. Even very confident people. That picture just shows a toned flat belly in motion. Ever seen a marathoner? 6% fat and yeah skin moves. It’s not a picture you’d post normally, but how much money is spent on photoshoots to get 1-5 good pictures put off hundreds/ thousands? Surely, everyone is aware even “perfect” is capable of being captured unflatteringly on film?
I really loved that she made this post. Representation is important.
I got stretch marks when I was 10 years old and my entire life up until I got into my late 20s was totally plagued by absolutely hating myself because of it. I was a 10 year old crying in dressing rooms because even at that age I thought my body was destroyed and I would be unloveable. How fucked up is that? I still cringe so hard when I see women bash other women for having stretch marks. Why does our society have to hate something so much that we literally can’t do anything about? Some people’s skin stretches, some people’s doesn’t. What’s the big deal?
Long story short, we need people in the limelight to show that they aren’t perfect, especially in this age of photoshop and airbrushing and terribly unrealistic beauty standards.
I am glad she shared this. I think she looks beautiful and agree with her message. I am new to this blog but shared before my struggle with hyperthyroidism caused by Graves Desease and anxiety, the latter one mostly caused by the desease but also by years of childhood trauma that I am finally facing. Anyhow the medication and condition has made me gain so much weight ( some people loose but mine went the other way). Most days nothing fits and it sends me into a depressed state and feel so much insecurity about myself that’s hard to talk myself out of it. I have finally rejoined the gym and hope to shed the pounds and get to a healthy weight soon where I can feel comfortable and confident again. It’s a process to love yourself specially when your body does whatever it wants to , at least it has been for me. Hope to get back to a place where I’m happy again with my body, therapy for sure has helped me greatly. I am thankful, don’t get me wrong of this strong body that has been through the hardest hurdles the past months dealing with severe anxiety, the uncomfortable pains of Graves and Hyperthyroidism but I feel now ready to take control and work on It to reclaim it.
What has happened to us as a society where we now think that skin rippling when the human body is in motion is *ugly*?
The real tragedy here is how we’ve been trained to be ashamed of ourselves if we don’t look photoshopped 24/7. It literally angers me that a young, healthy, beautiful woman’s first reaction to a photo of herself *being a normal human with normal skin* would be self-hatred. This s—t has got to stop.
I find it hard not to LOVE Sarah Hyland.
I really like that she posted that pic. I have a TON of pics like that of me.
I don’t actually see what’s wrong with that photo. It just looks like she’s walking and is in motion. I don’t know what she’d be insecure about from that pic. She looks amazing and beautiful.