STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Stars From 'Orange Is the New Black', 'Scandal' and More Reveal How They Embrace Their Physical Flaws

From small butts to thick thighs, how celebs learned to tell themselves: "I am what I am."

We are not perfect.

But in a culture saturated with botox and butt implants, we're trained to believe we have to be. Women of various ages, sizes and colors have rightfully grabbed the spotlight to prove you're beautiful as you are—sans botox—and that there is no such thing as perfection.

We asked artists and stars from your favorite shows to reveal their own flaws they've learned to work through and accept as they've gotten older. We fell in love with Orange Is the New Black's Poussey for her strong "take me as I am" mentality, but that doesn't mean real-life Samira Wiley has that attitude. Skyler Samuels is perfection on Scream Queens, but she doesn't necessarily think of herself that way.

Famous or not, all women go through this struggle together. What unites us is how we learn to overcome our individual insecurities and embrace the bodies we were born with. Read their honest answers and be inspired.

Samira Wiley (Orange Is the New Black)

My biggest insecurity was: "My stomach. All the women in my family have a little potbelly thing going on. I feel like it is so womanly, though. I want to be a mom so bad so just learning to love that and myself has been a journey. Especially for women, it's always a journey."

Dale Soules (Orange Is the New Black)

My biggest insecurity was: "[My] two webbed toes on each foot and missing earlobe. It was just how I was. It didn't affect me in any adverse way, except I can't wear two earrings at the same time. I learned to love it."

Skyler Samuels (Scream Queens)

My biggest insecurity was: "[My] tiny, turned up nose. [I had it] my whole life. I couldn't wear glasses, they'd fall off. People make fun of you for everything. I think it doesn't come to your attention until some stupid boy on the playground is like, 'Hey...' Part of it is learning to love the things about you that people see and ultimately everyone has one. We all have our special things."

Jackie Cruz (Orange Is the New Black)

My biggest insecurity was: "My very long neck. I got made fun of, called 'turkey neck,' whatever. But now I love it. I love this part of me so much. I feel like a ballerina all the time. But it was something I was very insecure about. And my teeth, I had braces three times. My unibrow. And now I like my hairy eyebrows."

Ta'Rhonda Jones (Empire)

My biggest insecurity was: "The gap in my teeth. When I was younger, I was arguing with somebody and my gum flew through the gap. Everybody started laughing, saying: 'Your teeth, your teeth!' I used to smile with my hand over my mouth until I met this guy and he pulled my hand and was like: 'You shouldn't cover up your smile, you have a beautiful smile.' I took it and ran with it. Now everywhere I go, I'm like [big smiling face]."

Jessica Pimentel (Orange Is the New Black)

My biggest insecurity was: "[My] very thick eyebrows. [I had them] when I was little. You know how girls are drawing on eyebrows? I have to take some out, but it's OK."

Vicky Jeudy (Orange Is the New Black)

My biggest insecurity was: "My legs. I'm pretty athletic, so I have muscular legs naturally. I think I've always looked at women who have the long, slender, ballet type of bodies. But I'm embracing my thick legs! And I'm rockin' a short dress."

Bellamy Young (Scandal)

My biggest insecurity was: "Being seen, talking to people; I'm not good with people. I still struggle with a lot of things. It's just been a journey as I've gotten older to be gentler on myself. I have lots of mean girls running around in my head [that] say terrible things all the time. All of those things I was obsessing over-not that they're not true and I'm perfect-it's just that we're all snowflakes. We're perfect in our own way."

Keesha Sharp (Girlfriends)

My biggest insecurity was: "I had no butt. Everyone in my family had really big, luscious bottoms. I was picked on terribly. I used to wear long shirts to cover [it]. [They'd say] 'flat,' 'pancake.' Terrible. Until college, then I started to embrace my body. I love to look at women with big booties now. You're going to love yourself or you're not, and embracing who you are is so freeing. I really don't care if people think my butt isn't the biggest. I'm happy with it."

Catherine Curtin (Orange Is the New Black)

My biggest insecurity was: "Me. I was the flaw that I grew up with. It's taken me years to learn to embrace myself. When I was growing up, [you had to cover yourself]. Wear jeans that were five sizes too big and pretend that you're a guy. I didn't really embrace my femininity at all. Now seeing [younger women] do that, I'm so proud. It's wonderful. Women are beautiful. The body is beautiful. Only now I'm like, 'OK, I'll let the girls out.' I look the way I look, I am what I am."

Kelsey Scott (How To Get Away With Murder)

My biggest insecurity was: "My thighs. I always thought I had huge thighs. An ex-boyfriend once called them thunder thighs, and it stuck with me for the rest of my life. I'm actually wearing shorts on a red carpet, so I've embraced the thighs. I've embraced my curves. I used to be nervous about it and now I simply celebrate."

Tweet

My biggest insecurity was: "My skin color. But as I grew up and even now, I’m more mature and happy and comfortable in the skin that I’m in. It’s process of elimination, you get rid of things in your mind that make you believe what you hear. Start redoing your mind and say: 'God created me this way, I must be wonderful, so let’s live in it.'"