LUCY HALE -  "Some days I wish I had different hair. I wish I was taller - I'm only 5' 2".  Lucy says the type of guy she'll date"... has to be smart, funny and a gentleman. I dont' care how cute you are , if I can't hold a conversation with you, see you later." GL 
 

TAYLOR LAUTNER - "I think a girl is most  attractive when wearing sweats and just being herself." InStyle  

BELLA THORNE - "I was diagnosed with dyslexia in second grade. I went to a special learning center and they helped me so much, especially with reading, which I struggled with. I now read and write a grade ahead. And I'm really good at literature and language." GL  
Oprah show about Ugly Betty

AMERICA FERRERA - "It's so reassuring to have a woman heroine who triumphs with more than just what she has on the outside ... who has more to offer the world than just a pretty picture. To me, the tragedy about this whole image-obsessed society is that young girls get so caught up in just achieving that they forget to realize that they have so much more to offer the world."
Oprah show about Ugly Betty

BECKI NEWTON - "When I think of the most beautiful women, they're not supermodels. My mother is 53 and comfortable in her own skin. My mom doesn't spend hours in front of the mirror or at the gym. She's outside gardening. She has interests. She doesn't deprive herself of anything. It's ultimate beauty when the insides and the outside match up."
Redbook

ODETTE YUSTMAN on being Bullied.
"High school shapes you, and you have your most embarrassing moments in high school and some of the coolest-sometimes. It's where you really learn who you are and what you're trying to do. It's hard, difficult and awkward."
People Magazine

ORLANDO BLOOM on Dyslexia.
"You can overcome anything. It takes having an obstacle to learn and grow."
People Magazine

TAYLOR SWIFT says just because you look perfect doesn't mean you feel perfect
"Tied Together With a Smile" is about a girl I knew my freshman year. She was absolutely Miss Popular, a pageant girl, and she looked perfect every day! Always had the cutest outfits, always looked the best at prom. But sometimes when you get a little closer to people who look that perfect, you realize that they don't feel perfect. They feel like they're ugly. And that's what happened with this girl--I became closer friends with her, and one day she confessed that she was bulimic.

Everybody looks in the mirror and is like, I wonder why her eyes are huge and mine are smaller. But I realized that if you're lucky enough to be different from everybody else, don't change.
Seventeen

JILLIAN MICHAELS reveals in People Magazine that her passion for helping others "comes from her being picked on and bullied as a kid."

What did JOHNNY DEPP feel when he left school?


"My main feeling when I left school
was of insecurity."
US Magazine

BEYONCE offers great "relationship" advice

"You have to know exactly what you need out of a relationship. You should be finding out what makes you happy in life. I know it sounds preachy, but I'm happy that I knew that. I think everyone has her own body type and looks good at different weights - that's what's so beautiful. There are thin women I think are beyond sexy, and then there are heavier women I think
are beyond sexy."
Seventeen

What HILARY DUFF finds unattractive in a guy:

Hilary says "it's unattractive when a guy:

a. Gets jealous
b. Lacks motivation
c. Is high-maintenance
d. Has a huge ego

"There definitely was a time when I was pretty obsessed with my weight, but I'm better off not stressing about my body all the time. It's not attractive when girls get super skinny. Guys don't like it. Girls don't like you as much. You lose some happiness when that's all you think about."
Cosmopolitan

PATRICK DEMPSEY says no one has it all together:

"It's good to have your ego burned. I'm not afraid to fail even in public. It's too easy to pretend you have it together, because no one does. The more you can allow yourself to make mistakes, the better off you're going to be. That's what life is about. You're going to get thrown off, and you just need to get back on.

I was dyslexic, so I never had the skills for school. By listening to books on tape, going to lectures or watching documentaries and finding out how I need to learn, that's when my education began. I had a hunger for learning and was constantly seeking to improve myself.
Parade

Patrick Dempsey has been known for roles on television like Grey's Anatomy and films by director Michael Bay called Transformers. He is a great role model for many young men and a great leader in the community.

CIARA tells you how to get the guy:

"Don't automatically assume guys are going to fall for your friend over you. I used to feel self-conscious about my height, and that made me afraid to talk to guys, but then I learned that guys like confidence. Stand up straight, keep your head up, and look him in the eye. I still have days when I feel insecure, but I know that if I'm not confident in myself, there's no way I can convince anybody else to believe in me."
Seventeen

JOHN KRASINSKI describes the perfect woman:

"Spontaneity is a huge thing for me...and a sense of humor. Not only that you can tell a joke but that you can laugh at yourself and are willing to laugh it off rather than hold grudges."

WHITNEY THOMPSON says flaws are what makes her different

"I've learned to take my flaws and [realize] they're what make me different. I've got my mom's thighs, you know? Southern! My mom has big thighs; my grandmama has big thighs. God forbid I look like every other robot-cookie-cutter girl out there! You're going to find someone who loves your giant nose or thinks your skinny arms are great!

I think one of the things that really helped me most in middle school and high school as cutting tags out of my pants--that way, other girls couldn't say anything. When someone goes, "What size are those?" you can look and say, "I don't know." Wear what fits-it doesn't matter what the number is." Seventeen

When TOM CRUISE was a teen he says, "I had no really close friend, someone who understands you. I was always the new kid with the wrong shoes, the wrong accent. I didn't have the friend to share things with and confide in." Tom was in 15 different schools in 12 years. Like many kids today, he had a reading disability so instead of putting him in with the "normal" kids they put him in remedial classes. A lot of our readers can understand that and how that makes you feel. Tom said he felt excluded and being small he was bullied a lot. "So many times the big bully comes up, pushes me. Your heart's pounding, you sweat, and you feel like you're going to vomit. I'm not the biggest guy, I never liked hitting someone, but I know if I don't hit that guy hard he's going to pick on me all year. I go, 'You better fight.' I just laid it down. I don't like bullies."

What's Tom's advice? "People can create their own lives. I saw how my mother created hers and so made it possible for us to survive. My mother was the one who rose to the occasion. She held three jobs. She said, 'We're going to get through this.'

On happiness Tom says, "Let me tell you what happiness is ... it's being able to confront and overcome problems. It's not running away but trying to see life in its full glory."
PARADE

JANET JACKSON - "A friend asked me once to do an exercise and that was to look in the mirror and find something that you like about yourself. So I looked in the mirror and I immediately started crying because there was nothing that I liked about myself. This was in my 30s. So I kept trying. I finally was able to actually just look at myself in the mirror without having any kind of emotion whatever and I realized that I like the sway of my back and my smile. I never found myself attractive.
Tyra Banks Show

DARIUS RUCKER on not having a father around:

"I remember times sitting in my room when I was growing up, really in tears, not believing I couldn't just call my dad. It's tough for a kid to realize that his father isn't interested in being around him."
People

CHEYENNE KIMBALL's tips to make dreams come true

"Whatever you're into, just do it. Don't do it for the wrong reasons. Don't do it for money or fame. You won't get anywhere that way. If you've got a passion for something, go for it. Also, write your goals down. Believe it or not, everything I write down has come true."
Girls Life

MARY J. BLIGE- "Society paints this picture where you have to have the longest hair and the thinnest body and you can't help but want to be that beautiful person you see on that picture. But then you have to start asking yourself the question - is that realistic for you? I began to ask myself those questions: Who am I working out for? Who am I looking good for? When I look in the mirror who do I want to please? Do I want to please people or do I want to please Mary first? So I began to want to please myself first. I can't please everybody. I can't  be the slimmest girl. Be the best you that you can be. I was drawing negative people around me with my negative thoughts. You gotta change the way you think about yourself or else everyone's going to think whatever you're thinking about yourself. "
Tyra Banks Show

CHRIS EVANS - When asked 'what in a woman makes you melt' - "I'm a sucker for modesty. When you find someone who is beautiful, talented,  intelligent, and compassionate and who can still look at herself in the mirror and have no idea that she's wonderful, that's just so attractive to me. I really have no tolerance for immaturity. If you're angry, approach me calmly and I will meet that in the middle and reciprocate. I have no time for games." Cosmopolitan

MANDY MOORE on accepting yourself

"I've accepted that I'm not going to be a stick-thin-model kind of girl. When I was 14, I was tall and spindly. By the time I turned 18, I had become a woman, and my body's not going to go back to what it looked like when I was 14."
Cosmopolitan

"I'm not one hundred percent comfortable in my skin, but I don't think there are body issues. I'm learning to accept everything that I am. I've accepted that I'm not going to be a stick-thin-model kind of girl. When I was 14, I was tall and spindly. By the time I turned 18, I had become a woman, and my body's not going to go back to what it looked like when I was 14."
Cosmopolitan

EMMA ROBERTS- "You can't make somebody like you. But if you like him, you should talk to him and just be yourself. If he likes you, great. If not, there is someone out there who will like you just as much as you like them!"
Twist

CODY KAREY gives dating advice:
"You can't be afraid to make jokes and have fun on dates. The whole point of a date is that you're trying to find out if you and the other person are right for each other. And you have to be yourself to find that out! If the other person doesn't think you're funny, then that's it!"
Twist

CHLOE SEVIGNY - "I used to be more suspicious, paranoid. I worried that I wasn't smart enough or pretty enough or talented enough. Everywhere I went, I'd wonder, What are people thinking about me? What are they saying? I couldn't go to a Friday night movie for fear people would heckle me! But after 30, you jut stop worrying so much. You start caring about things that are more important." 
Elle

TOM EVERETT SCOTT -
 "I like a smart women with a sense of humor who say what they mean."
Cosmopolitan

JESSICA ALBA felt ugly when she was in school.

"In public school in Del Rio, Texas--Jessica Alba says she was sickly--asthma, kidney problems--and ugly, bucktoothed, and swaybacked. She also says that she was friendless and talks bitterly of the clique of middle school girls who kicked dirt on her while she was eating a sandwich
 under a tree."
Elle

What does JASON LEWIS looks for in a girl?

Confidence is sexy--that trait always plays well for a woman. It's nice to find people who have a good sense of themselves, and I think that' s where confidence comes from.
Redbook

CHRISTY CARLSON ROMANO on what girls need to succeed:

"Girls need the confidence to know that they are whole, and that they can do anything just the way that they are." 
Relate

DRAKE BELL says it's really bad ...

It's really bad--sometimes I feel like we have a whole generation of Chihauhua-carrying, big sunglasses-wearing girls who are aloof all the time. You know like Paris Hilton girls. But you should be more genuine and true--stop and take the time to say hi. I'm interested in what people have to say. Seventeen

ALICIA KEYS on the importance of getting in touch with your feelings:

"I have definitely been over accommodating. It gets to the point where I'm not taking a second to ask, How am I feeling today? We have to listen to our feelings. But a lot of times you ignore them. You're busy, you're in school, you're working, trying to get into college, to make you mom happy, to be the best student you can be, to make your friends like you, to fit in. You don't want to disappoint anyone. But at some point you have to say, Enough! I can't be perfect.

A lot of times you don't really say what you mean because you're like, I don't want to hurt their feelings. I don't want to make them feel bad. But sometimes you have to just say, "I'm sorry if this hurts you. I'm not trying to hurt you, but this is what I feel." I've also worked on becoming more independent-becoming more selfish. Not selfish in a bad way; selfish in the "you need some you time" way.

I think at one time I was so bent on being just one way that I didn't allow myself to explore the many ways I can be or express myself. I've learned to embrace the many sides of myself. And there are so many sides to who I am. I have the more delicate side. I have the rougher, tougher tomboy side. I have the bohemian, '70s retro side. I have the more glamorous side. I have the more feminine side. There are so many sides to who you are. So now I'm just so much more open to trying new things. And it feels good.
Seventeen
Here's what Alicia said about her struggles with acne: "It felt crazy. When you're in high school, somebody might say something [about acne] and hurt your feelings. Well, imagine the entire world looking at you, constantly scrutinizing your face. I felt really hurt. I knew that you shouldn't base your [self-esteem] on your physical appearance, so I tried to convince myself that I shouldn't worry about it, but inside I felt like everyone was attacking me. It wasn't easy at all, but I finally realized that I'm beautiful on the inside regardless of a couple bumps here and there. Who Cares?"
TeenPeople 

".....I have big everything on the bottom but I love my legs. You've got to love what's yours."
Allure

ADAM BRODY - in the May '05 issue of Teen People said when asked about what his biggest flaw was said, "The biggest one is that I don't think I'm ever quite enough"

"I've been turned down by girls I've approached more times than I care to admit."
Cosmopolitan

HILARIE BURTON says she was a geeky kid

"I did not feel cute. I was totally dorky, and in second grade they realized I was blind (and needed glasses to see). I was the geeky kid, and I couldn't sit with the cool girls. It's been 15 to 20 years, and it still affects you."
Los Angeles Daily News

ZACK BRAFF reveals his body

"When I take my shirt off, I don't have ripped, Brad Pitt-in-fight Club abs. I got some real-guy love handles." 
People

JADA PINKETT-SMITH - "Just be confident in what you know for yourself.  Because you will have pressures from all different types of people who will try to tell you that they know what's better for you. And we all know, deep down inside, that inner voice ...  those dreams that we have that people are constantly telling us that we can't achieve ... we know what we can."
Tyra Banks Show

PAUL WALKER -  "I like people who are positive. Not in a naive way. It's got to be cemented in reality and you've got to know what's going on. But to choose to take it and spin it and flip it and to remain positive and have a good outlook on things. I think that's really attractive. Spontaneity, too, is really attractive. Responsibility is good, but you've still got to be willing to drop and go."
Cosmogirl

EVA LONGORIA PARKER an ugly duckling???

"I was the ugly duckling growing up. So I felt like I had to establish myself with my personality as opposed to my looks. So I spent a lot of time being the class clown just to compensate for my lack of beauty."
Chicago Tribune

LUDACRIS -  "The perfect girl is one who is, of course, beautiful on the inside and out. She's extremely confident, focused, and knows what she wants out of life. She really just has to be comfortable in her own skin." Cosmopolitan

AMANDA BYNES' advice on breakups & perfection

"I've only been through one really bad breakup. I was with the person for six months and he was seeing someone on the side--and it broke my heart. But I realized the guy's a jerk, and I don't need him if he's not going to care about me. I try to think positively because I think it's bad to harvest negative stuff in your heart.

I know I'm not perfect and I think I have made a bunch of mistakes. People get fixated on thinking, This is who I am and I cannot change. You can't say, I hate myself. You can say, That's not who I want to be. There's that song "Suddenly I see" by KT Tunstal--in it, there's this line that says, "Suddenly I see/This is what I wanna be." And I just love that line because you're not perfect all the time--so change it tomorrow. And every morning you wake up and you decide who you want to be.
Seventeen

"Way too many girls think they aren't good enough, and they end up losing their virginity to gross guys. Know how good you are. Be more sure of yourself. I think a lot of girls don't realize until they're older, like, 'Wow, I wasn't that bad.'"
Cosmogirl

JASON MRAZ -  "Don't attempt to be someone you're not. By the time everyone's done trying to be cool, you're left with two people who aren't really compatible in the first place. It's the nerds who are gonna grow up to be in the really successful, small bands and to run their own companies. Because nerds don't get as much attention from girls when they're younger, they respect it more."
ElleGirl

SANAA LATHAN's take on sexy

"Sexiness is knowing that you belong simply because you are alive. It's owning the space you're in wherever you are. And it's opening your heart to the beauty of the moment and letting it thrill you."
O Magazine

JUSTIN CHAMBERS -  "I like confident women who are secure with who they are. You don't want someone who needs to live through you. A lot of people put too much into the other person, and they lose their identity. It's important to be in a relationship that's 50/50." 
Cosmopolitan

AUDRINA PATRIDGE was a victim of school bullying
"Girls were always rude and catty to my sister and I. They will say anything to put you down and make themselves feel better. I had a few close guy friends and the girls didn't like it, so they would call me names and spread terrible rumors.

You just have to hold your chin up and take it as a compliment that certain people dedicate that much time and effort to talk about you. I don't think I'll ever stop experiencing that, I have just gotten better at understanding and dealing with it. (ANI)

SEANN WILLIAM SCOTT - "I tend to go for women with common sense. Being down-to-earth stands out more than physical looks."  Cosmopolitan

MISTI TRAYA - "I have seriously unruly curls. To make matters worse, I was born in Hawaii, where humidity is not a curly-headed person's friend. Now I've learned how to manage my curls or blow them straight. These days, I think I have the best hair in the world because I've learned how versatile it can be."

CHAD MICHAEL MURRAY has a great rule to live by

My rule is to just be who I am. Sometimes I don't take my own "advice, but I know that no matter what, I can be happy with continuing to go forward. I wake up in the morning proud of the man I'm becoming."
Cosmo Girl

ZOOEY DESCHANEL - "I think every year I become happier because I become more comfident and more comfortable in my own skin."
Cosmopolitan

JESSE METCALFE -  "I like a girl who is confident, intelligent, likes to have fun, is open to experiencing new things and is into music."
US Weekly

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY - "I think I always disappoint people, because they always expect someone very pretty. Very done. There's so much pressure to be thin, blonde and busty. I'm skinny, but even I couldn't fit into some of the clothese there (in L.A.)!" In a funny kind of way, I think you create it yourself. I think it's much better to go with the flow and embrace your body, whatever shape it is, and just be happy."

When asked what's her type-charming Keira said: 'What I look for in a guy is that, if he can make me laugh, it doesn't matter what he looks like. Humor and talent are such attractive qualities."  
TWIST

 

BRANDON ROUTH talks about the bullies in his school

"There were bullies. I don't think there was just one. My mom was a teacher, and everyone thought I was goody two shoes (which I kind of was!) I got teased a lot for that. But that's in the past. It builds character and you learn from it."
TWIST

KELLY CLARKSON - when asked if she ever had low self-esteem Kelly said, ".....In junior high, I had glasses and braces, my face was broken out and I was chubby. Everything was bad! I begged my mom for contacts. We didn't have much money, but she finally set me up to get some. It's little things like contacts that help people feel more comfortable inside and out. I finally didn't have to worry about glares on stage or about my glasses slipping when I played sports." The reporter asked Kelly if there was anything else that helped her feel more comfortable in her own skin. She said, ".....I was always involved and always doing stuff. I did sports, drama, choir and I was also in senior council. Exercise and staying active always makes me feel great." They also asked her if her self-esteem suffered when she watched herself on TV during American Idol. She said, "I'm petite but I was the biggest girl on my season-everyone else weighed 100 pounds. Reporters would ask, 'So what's it like being a big girl?' and I thought, 'Big? What?" It was like, 'Wait, what am I doing wrong?' Luckily, I had a great mom and dad who helped me grow up feeling comfortable in my own skin. I have a curvy figure, which guys like. And performing isn't about looking the best or being the most beautiful. I do it because I love it. Look, nobody else has my butt. Nobody has my eyes. Nobody has my nose. It's all mine. And that's what makes me different from everyone."
 TWIST

JESSE McCARTNEY - "When I got to high school, I was very thrown by the change and I did a lot of things to fit in. You know, partying and driving fast to impress people. It was all fun and games until the night my friend was in a car accident. He was partying just like us and riding in fast cars just like us. But he was killed. Suddenly I saw everything differently. I realized I was doing things I didn't want to do to please other people. I said to myself, 'This is not right. I don't need to please anybody. I need to make sure what I'm doing is right in my eyes and in God's eyes.' After that, I totally did not care what anyone thought of me. And guess what? I started making lots more friends than when I was doing the wrong things to be popular and cool. For the first time in my life, I had lots of real friends just by being myself."

MARIAH CAREY - "It's embarrassing to say, 'I felt really ugly in school today. My hair was in knots.' You grow up looking at Sixteen Candles and wanting to be the popular girl. You look at the other kids and think, 'Where do I fit?' I felt like an outcast. The fear, the sense of inadequacy, the feeling of not being fully accepted-I felt all of that."
Parad

HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN -
 "I like a girl who doesn't put style before comfort. I like natural, unmade-up look - a girl who is comfortable not only in her clothes but in her own skin."  
In Style

ASHLEY TISDALE says mean girls are just insecure

"Girls get mean when they feel threatened. Sharpay's feet get stepped on, so she gets vicious. Mean girls are the same way. I think they're very insecure. They look like they have it all together, but it's a mask. If you look at them and think they are this way or that way, you're actually buying into the stereotype and making it all worse."
Girls Life

ADAM LAMBERT  - "In middle school I felt like an outsider. I didn't have a lot of friends. I had confidence issues big-time."
 People

RYAN REYNOLDS - "I was one of those kids where all I wanted to do was gain weight--I was such a noodle. And I was extremely self-conscious about that. .....in school, all I wanted to do was disappear, and on film, all I wanted to do was be seen. So I remember I used to buy clothes for school that would be the least distinctive and allow me to disappear."
Jane

BRITTANY MURPHY -  in the September issue of Seventeen, Brittany Murphy said about Eminem's song, 'Lose Yourself,' ... "See, this song is a really important song. He says you can do anything you want to do in this life. And it's true. You can. You can make any one of your dreams come true. I have all the faith in the world in myself!" She also said ..."Being picked on for being too skinny is as detrimental to self-esteem as being picked on for being overweight. I think the most important thing is whatever you've got, be proud of it. As long as you're healthy, no matter what size you are, there's a way to be happy with who you are."
Seventeen
       
"I grew up in an extraordinarily hardworking family, and I was always taught to believe that poor is a state of mind. Is life easier when you have more money? Yes. Does it make you happier? No. Can it take away unhealthiness? No. Happiness comes from within."
 Jane

NOTE FROM Hey U G L Y:  We miss you Brittany.

ASHTON KUTCHER - ".....Modeling is a performance. Your job is to make the clothes look good. You have to go out there with a confidence that you may not have. So it is a kind of acting. I'm not naturally one of those guys who's like, Look at me, I'm sexy! I never had a girlfriend until my senior year of high school."
In Style
       
 ".....The only thing I really fear is failure, and I'm trying to get over that now too. Humiliation is not really a big thing on my fear list. I've been humiliated before, I've been embarrassed before -- I'm not afraid of that. The last thing I'm worried about is looking cool. I'm such a spaz anyway, looking cool is not really on my daily worries list. I'm not worried about being fooled or looking like I don't have it all together -- because I admit that I don't, and I admit that I'm not cool." When asked what it takes to find a soul mate, Ashton said, ".....The key is to find what you want in a partner and go after it. It's not about pleasing. I think when you find the right thing, in many ways, what you want out of them will be what they want to give you. Just figure out what you want, and then that person will arrive. Look inside and go, 'What do I need from a partner in life? I want somebody who makes me laugh, I want somebody who takes care of me when I'm sick. In real life, figure out what it is that you want to give to somebody else -- and then find that person."
 CosmoGirl
         
"I'm still in my awkward phase! My voice has been creaky since I was 13, and I still can't get it to stop. During my freshman year in high school, I weighted, like 103 pounds. I was the little kid in school. Then there was a period where I grew, like, six inches and put on 50 pounds in one year. I was growing so fast that I couldn't afford new pants. I was wearing unintentional high waters. And when I was a kid, my teeth were too big for my face. I think everybody feels awkward."

When the reporter mentioned that he was always getting into trouble he said, "I was really, really good for a long time, but I had a lot of stuff inside of me. Growing up, there were just a lot of dark things that I was angry about that I didn't think I could talk to anyone about. That stuff started to build up inside of me. And when you hold it in, that's when you start to get into trouble.
Teen People

KIRSTEN DUNST on messed-up teeth

"I would never fix my teeth-if someone asked me to, I wouldn't want to work with them. It's part of me. Messed-up teeth is character."
Newsweek

"I have hips, I have boobs, I have a butt. It's good to be thoughtful of what goes in your mouth. I love desserts-I don't have them every day. I work out when it feels good-not so I can look like a stick. When people try so hard to be skinny, it's not pretty to me. Being comfortable with yourself is the sexiest thing."
Teen People

SETH GREEN - "I'm five feet four inches now and as you can guess, I've always been short. Shorter than most of the boys in my class and shorter even than some of the girls. That became glaringly apparent early on, because I was also a year accelerated, in with kids a year older than I. So not only was I the smallest, I was also the youngest. To the other kids, I also had a funny name. They'd call me Death instead of Seth. It didn't help that I didn't play athletics at school."
Got Issues Much?

JESSICA SIMPSON - "I didn't start feeling comfortable in my own skin until I was 20. I just had so much build up and so many clogged pores. As a celebrity, fans expect to see something perfect in person, and when they come face-to-face with you - without airbrushing - and you have acne problems, it's embarrassing. If you're a bit overweight you can wear a baggy sweatshirt and feel better about yourself, but skin is a huge part of your self-esteem. It's something you can't hide. Natural beauty is really happiness with who you are. If you like who you are on the inside, that'll come through on the outside."
TWIST
        
"You're never going to look perfect to yourself even if you might look perfect to somebody else. The thing I've had to learn the most is to accept compliments and steer away from all the negativity. I mean there were [magazine] covers of me saying that I was anorexic! That my ribs were sticking out! Yeah, my ribs are sticking out. My ribs stuck out before. I have a huge rib cage, which is why I can hold a note until I'm blue in the face...because I have such a huge lung capacity. I've learned that it's okay to have big dreams and not be embarrassed and apologize for it. Everyone should go after their passions. And be positive towards others' dreams as well as their own. A lot of people can feel shy about what they really want to do, and it did take a while for me to say, 'You know what? I do want to do this."
Cosmopolitan

NICK LACHEY - "We're really self-conscious about our flaws. My nose is big...it looks like a potato. And I used to have bad skin. I still don't have great skin, but I used to break out a lot."  
Cosmopolitan
 

"I like girls who are comfortable with themselves and normal." Cosmopolitan

JENNIFER ANISTON - "I don't feel beautiful all the time. The majority of the time, I don't."
 Glamour

VINCE VAUGHN -  "In high School, I was painfully shy around girls, especially if I didn't know a girl -- there was no way I was going up to her, even though I was just awkward. But moving out here, and not being in college, I had no choice. When you're in school, you can play the I'm-not-that-interested guy because you're going to see them the whole year. But out here you only get one moment in time -- and you've got to use it."
Seventeen

REESE WITHERSPOON - "I have cellulite. I have stretch marks. I feel intimidated by Victoria's Secret. Hollywood is one of those endless competitions, but it's like running a race toward nothing. There's no winning. You're never going to win the pretty race. I just want to be the best version of myself that I can be."
 TWIST

CLAY AIKEN - "Around 10th grade, I think I just decided I was going to be myself. I still wasn't the coolest person in school, but I was happier with myself and I had confidence and I started to become more popular. By 12th grade I was set. I still looked kind of dorky, but I was totally in. People feel comfortable around someone who is comfortable with himself."
Teen People

EVA MENDES - "I have the hugest ... overbite. It's so big, my older brothers and sisters used to call me Bugs. I looked like a bottle opener. But I've never fixed my bite because it's one of the things that makes me me. I used to get teased about the mole on my left cheek. In junior high the other kids would say, 'You've got some chocolate on your face,' and I fell for it every time. I said, 'The minute I turn 18 I'm going to get that mole removed!' But I'm happy I didn't. My best feature is my big hips. I've got some nice childbearing hips, and I feel very proud of them. When I was younger I thought they were too big. I wanted to be slimmer. But now I totally embrace them."
 People

"I've learned to love my body whether I'm 7 pounds heavier or 7 pounds lighter. I'm accepting of my body and have a good relationship with it." Cosmopolitan

MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY - in the Sept '05 issue of In Style, Matthew said, "I love a woman who's comfortable in her skin."
In Style

KELLY ROWLAND - "If you don't respect yourself the way you should - if you don't realize your own value and worth - then somebody else will see that and take advantage of it."

TOPHER GRACE - "In high school I was skinny, but really short too -- I like to think that girls wanted to like me, but couldn't because of that.

Every teenager should find something that scares them [and do it]. If you're into sports, try out for a play; if you're into pottery, try out for football. If I'd been scared to try out for '70s, I wouldn't have made all these great friends and had such a great time and learned about this whole other side of myself." Cosmo Girl

MINNIE DRIVER -"I was an ugly cow when I was younger."
In Touch

MARK RUFFALO - When I was in high schoo, I had cystic acne and was a little overweight. People made fun of my last name all the time: Buffalo Breath, Buffalo Fart, Buffalo Lips. It was an ongoing buffalo joke."

KATE WINSLET -"When I was a teenager, I was very overweight. I was 190 pounds when I was sixteen. And as an actress I wanted to play Alice in Alice in Wonderland ... And, so, over the coure of a year, I very, very sensibly lost the majority of the weight. I changed the way I thought about food and my body."
Vogue

In the March 7 issue of US Weekly, Kate said classmates called her Blubber. She has said she was "mentally bullied. ".....I would just sit there and think, 'Let this make you stronger.'

 MATT DAMON -  "It's just better to be yourself than to try to be some version of what you think the other person wants."
Cosmo Men

 DREW BARRYMORE -"I think happiness is a choice. I believe luck is your attitude. It sounds like a really annoying bumper sticker. But there is such a great truth in that. You choose how you want to feel about what happens to you. I could have been a miserable failure. I haven't had anybody looking over me, and I've found my own way through optimistic exploration and fire-burning mistakes. I am a very happy person with an extraordinary life, so I must be doing a lot of things right. I really believe when you peel away the layers, the worlds is a beautiful place filled with beautiful people."  Elle
         
In an article in the February 23 issue of People magazine when asked about her life after the house fire and the demise of her marriage to Tom Green, Drew said, ".....All of a sudden I was free to be exactly who I wanted to be rather than who I thought I had to be for anyone else or anything else."  Did you know that Drew was called "Fatso" by the boys when she was in school? Yes she was. When asked about her wild days of drinking she said, ".....I'd been suffocating myself with trying to be such a good person that I realized I was making myself miserable." ".....I can feel beautiful on the inside-and I can tell that shows on the outside. It's amazing to me."
        
"Maybe it's different for every person, but my personal downfall in a relationship is losing a sense of myself, getting too involved in their world and their opinions and their lifestyle. I always have to struggle to be my own person, whether it's as stupid as what I like to eat for breakfast or as big as how to conduct myself as an individual. What's saving me in this relationship is the fact that I feel like I'm remaining my own person." She also said, ".....If we could just admit our faults, at least we could be human. I think what became more important to me was not how other people saw me but how I saw myself. I do run a company. I am consistent at work. My bosses think that I will show up on time, and I'm reliable to them. I can respect myself. That ended up becoming the important journey for me.  And, of course, I'll always be a bit of a ridiculous clown, 'cause I just can't help it."
Glamour
       
 "I think that it is so important to believe in yourself and believe in your empowerment and not wait for someone to rescue you and do it for you. That you can go out there and create it all for yourself."
In The Actor's Studio
      
"During my teen years ... I was awkward; I had braces; I was overweight. I was always teased. It's so funny because it's always those kids who get beaten up in school who end up triumphing. It's almost like you need that to build character-even though it's painful to go through it." TeenPeople

JOHN MAYER can't be with anyone that manipulates

"I couldn't be with someone who uses manipulation to get what she wants. If you need my attention, just tell me. I'll do the same. And smoking. If she was trying to quit, that would be okay, but I couldn't date someone who was oblivious to the fact that it's a nasty habit.
 Cosmopolitan
 

CHRISTINA RICCI - "I got ugly. Throughout my childhood, my favorite [rejection] was: She looks too healthy. They wanted that really gaunt, runaway girl kind of look. I was, like, Mom, I thought you could never be too healthy. She (Christina's mom) said, "Ignore them.""
Movieline Magazine

"I was really fat for a year. I was ugly. People would come up to me in the street and say, "Weren't you Wednesday in The Addams Family? God, you've gotten so fat. I felt I was a separate person from the person they were talking about, and I'd want to take them aside and scold them: You can't talk to me like that. Being overweight made it so hard for me to get films. I didn't work for a year because of it, and it was devastating."
Interview Magazine

"As a teenager, I didn't like to look in mirrors. I'd put collages and stuff over them; left the lights off in the bathroom. Those are the years when I feel like you hate yourself or love yourself."
Elle Girl

DANE COOK on the little friend in his pocket

"I couldn't get a date to the prom. Now I change my name when I check into hotels. I used to go by Zang Kudrow who was an action figure I kept in my pocket when I felt shy at school. I knew he was in there, like my buddy."
In Style

CAMERON DIAZ - "when I was growing up, I hated my body, I was extremely, extremely skinny as a child for years I was seventy-nine pounds, and much taller than everyone else. When I was in junior high, people thought I was sick. They used to call me Skeletor, or Skinny Bones Jones and all those other horrible names"

RACHEL BILSON on sexiness

"The guy has to be funny. He can be Screech, but if he makes you laugh, you're like - You're kind of cute.
Cosmopolitan

"It doesn't matter how good-looking a guy is, it just depends on his personality. If a guy can make you laugh and make fun of you, that's what wins me over."
TWIST

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE's  Ideal Girl Checklist:

 ".....Confidence is sexy to me. She must have confidence. It always attracts me. I like girls who are comfortable with themselves and have a good sense of humor. Pretty is cool, but it's not really about looks for me, it's more about personality. I like when a woman takes charge and does not just agree with everything I like -- that's boring. If a girl has self-esteem and confidence, it definitely shows. That's the most attractive thing in the world."
Twist

Justin on Sexiness
"Sexy ... is the way you carry what you have. I have a big nose, but I rock it. And therefore I think my big nose is sexy. I'm kidding. Sexy is a walk. Sexy isn't the clothes you wear, it's the way you wear them. Sexy is how you own your power."
Jane
 

HALLE BERRY's magical experience:

"A magical thing happened when I turned 40 - a light sort of went off, and I felt more self-assured and confident, like I finally had the right to be authentic about who I am, to say what I want to say. I guess that comes with getting older. Now I'm at this point in my life where I'm happy with myself. It's not because I have a really cute boyfriend or a great career, I just feel good about me. And if any one of those things should dissipate, I'd still be OK. That feels like a really good place to be.

Halle didn't always feel this way. After she was voted one of the world's sexiest women she said she still doesn't see herself as a big star. "To be totally honest, most of the time I think I'm ugly," she told German magazine Journal fur die Frau. "I see myself without make-up every morning and that's why I don't have illusions any more. I certainly don't feel like a big star."

LEONARDO DICAPRIO unpopular? Imagine that!

"I was entirely an unpopular student. I think teenage life is filled with narcissism and giant mood swings that are unnecessary and constantly inflating problems to phenomenally unrealistic proportions."
 GQ

"We all have horrible fears and insecurities that we need to overcome. Mine came from never feeling accepted by any group, never being received. In school I was about a foot shorter than anyone else, always jumping up and getting laughs-a little smart-ass with a big mouth. School was like this wild safari where I could make a name for myself, but it never really worked. They just basically looked at you as the class clown and dismissed you.
I never belonged.
Parade

CHRISTINA AGUILERA on healing your pain

"I've gotten rid of a lot of the angst I used to have. I've been able to heal a lot of the pain. It's important to recognize your own self-destructive behavior and be honest about it. You're only hurting yourself or losing out on your truth and happiness. I'm not afraid of facing my own person stuff. It's so important to dig it up and figure it out and move on. I enjoy real people, down-to-earth people who are true to themselves and honest to your face-good or bad." CosmoGirl

GISELE BUNCHEN - "When I was a child, everyone laughed at me in school, but I think it's pretty normal because children are pretty honest. They called me Olive Oyl."
US Weekly

ANGELINA JOLIE - "I've often felt unattractive or different looking. As I've grown up, I've felt more comfortable in my own skin. It may sound cliche, but when you feel beautiful and strong on the inside, it shows
on the outside."
Teen People

BRAD PITT give the secret on what girls should do to attract a guy:

"It's a misconception that a girl has to do something to catch a guy's attention. It just happens. There are no tricks. In fact, when you have to get tricky, it's not worth it. You know what makes a guy take notice? If you don't let him disrespect you. If some guy makes a stupid remark and a girl doesn't let it get to her because she knows who she is - then she's won.
The reporter then asked Brad ...What advice would you give teens about resisting peer pressure? He replied: I'm probably the wrong person to ask. I believe in exploration-but smart exploration, not dangerous. If you're feeling pressured to try certain things that don't feel right to you, go with your gut instincts. It'll never steer you wrong."
 Teen People

Great insight from DIAHANN CARROLL

"If you are happy you attract happy people, and if you are unhappy you attract unhappy people."  
Oprah Show
 

NELLY reveals how a girl can win him over

 ".....Self-conscious people tend to throw things off because when you're around them, you become uncomfortable, too. You become scared of saying something that might affect their vibe. If someone can laugh at themselves, you know you're going to be able to get along with them."
Twist

 NEVE CAMPBELL -
  "The boys wrote a song about all the girls in the (ballet) class, ranking them from prettiest to ugliest." The last verse, "Neve-aagh!" was reserved for her. "It was about how ugly I was," she said.
Sassy

 LIV TYLER -
".....I've been told if I lose weight, I'd have more work, but I refuse to submit [to that]. To the rest of the world I'm slim, and I like the way I am."
Glamour

BRANDY - "In elementary [school] girls teased me because I was so skinny and I wasn't that pretty. They pulled my hair and tried to jump me after school. In junior high, people hated me; they thought I was trying to show off. I used to try to buy friendships with my lunch money. It was awful for me."
US Weekly

TAYE DIGGES - "There was an incident where I was playing softball in gym class, and I went up to bat and the pitcher was a more popular kid in school. As he was pitching, he screamed out to the rest of the players on the field, "Nerd!" three times in a row, as loud as he could."
 Jane

SANDRA BULLOCK admits to having had a rough time growing up.

"I hated my whole childhood, hated it, hated it, hated it. There was no place for me. I was not accepted here. I was noticeably different. I was awkward. I was in the wrong clothes. I would get the sh_t kicked out of me constantly. My mother would be like, 'That's ridiculous. Why would anyone do that?' I'm coming home with my hair a mess, crying. Finally a guidance counselor came to my house and said, 'We have a problem. They are picking on her, and I don't know what to do about it.' And I was so angry at my mother. She was like, 'Obviously something you are doing.' ... I'm so thankful for it now because it definitely gives you the empathetic view of humanity."
Vogue

"Realizing that conforming didn't accomplish anything. I was so preppy-everything was monogrammed and everything had to match. It was such a stress. Being popular was so much work! Do your own thing. As long as you learn that, you're cool." 
Teen People

DEBRA MESSING - "I was not asked at all. I didn't go to my senior prom. I often danced by myself on the side.

"Growing up I was a string bean-skinny and tall-and I felt self-conscious about that. I worried about how skinny I was, the fact that I had no chest, my frizzy hair. When I started to work in television, makeup artists would point out flaws I'd never even noticed before, and it made me feel
even more insecure."

MELISA ETHERIDGE reveals what she's glad she let go of

"Fear. And the sense that I am not good enough-not good enough for my partner, my career, my kids. Before, I needed to make everybody else feel good, so nobody would look at me. I'd take on everybody's problems and make their life happy, so they didn't see I wasn't good enough. Now I can go to a photo shoot with 70 zillion people, and I don't have to make them think I'm the greatest. I can just be myself and trust that I'm okay."
Life

TINA FEY - "I was a mean girl. I had a gift for coming up with the meanest possible thing to say in any situation. Well, at my high school -- a huge public school in a suburb of Philadelphia -- there were a few girls who were kind of "famous." Everyone knew who they were dating and what parties they went to. They weren't the prettiest girls or the ones with money. They were just randomly anointed. I was an honor student, and I was in a ton of activities -- the newspaper, drama club, the tennis team ... My friends and I didn't really date or go to cool parties, so we made jokes about those who did. To be honest, we felt kind of rejected, and when you don't feel confident about yourself, you may look for flaws in somebody else to make you feel better. Looking back, I can see the mean-girl thing for what it is: a waste of energy. But that's not much comfort if you're the target. The hardest thing is to free yourself from caring what someone says about you. But it brings big freedom if you do it."

BEN STILLER - "I was pretty insecure [around girls] because I had bad skin. Not really bad skin, but I had pimples. It affected my sense of who I was. It's such a silly thing when you look back, but at the time, it drove me crazy. .....[High School] can be brutal because of the cliques and the way kids treat each other. But stick it out -- it gets better. Things that seem like they mean the world at the moment, you'll look back on and realize weren't that important. It sounds like an after -- school special, but it's true."

PAULA ABDUL - "I was like any other teenage girl who wanted to be someone I'm not, and that was defined by what boys liked and what images of beauty the media perpetrated. Plus, when I was 7 years old, my ballet teacher said that I didn't have a dancer's body. That rang in my head as "I'm not normal; my body is wrong." It affected me in profound ways. I'm a strong girl, but I've always been a believer that when I can't manage, I surrender. I get myself to a place where someone can help me. I'm prouder of overcoming bulimia than of anything else I've done - more than having a number one record or selling out a concert. Celebrate yourself, embrace your struggle, and don't walk with shame, because nothing is as bad as you probably think it is. When I got through bulimia, I stopped living as a prisoner. Let your body fall into its natural state. Every minute you stay enthralled with a diet or get caught up in how you think you should look, you lose, because you're not enjoying life."

 QUEEN LATIFAH on high school

"It was a very vulnerable time going from being insecure about my body and who I am to becoming comfortable with me. I had to tune out what the hell everybody else had to say about who I was. When I was able to
do that, I felt free."
Parade

"I wish every woman would love themselves and embrace what they were given naturally. I've been fortunate to have the career I want without changing what I look like. If [producers] ever demanded I lose so much weight that I'm not even a remnant of who I am, then hell no, I'm not going to do that. Besides, there'd be a lot of girls out there who wouldn't be inspired had I not been that girl with a little more weight who carried herself with that self-confidence.
In Style

JASON DOOLEY spills what he likes in a girl:

"A girl's smile is always going to catch my attention. Every girl has a great smile, so if you just show it, I'll notice it for for sure. But mostly it's about being yourself. I don't like it when girls try to be too funny or overly flirty."

PHYLICIA RASHAD says STOP looking for approval

"Don't be preoccupied with looking for approval from other people. You're never going to be anybody but who you are. And who you are is greater than you imagine. The way that you think creates our reality. It's very powerful. I would say to a young girl who is feeling insecure about her looks to stop. Who you are is not the way you look; who you are is who you are on the inside. And there is not a mirror in the world that can show you that. It is beautiful, it is amazing, it is awesome.'
Oprah Show

HARVEY KEITEL wants you to feel what you're feeling:

"I won't let anyone tell my son not to cry. I don't want anything to interfere with his expressing what he's feeling. As a kid I was told to shush, and as a result it's taken me a lifetime to be able to speak. I had to hide it - you hammer it down until you can't think anymore, you can't speak anymore, and your inner world is in retreat. You can't function, and you stutter, which I did as a boy. You will stutter not only vocally, but inwardly. You will hesitate, you will fumble, you will futz, and you will deny the truth because the truth is too difficult to handle. It's hard to select which situations to run away from once you become a runner, so you hide from everything."

MADONNA has fears too:

"Oh sure, I've got lots of fears. My job is to conquer my fears. The irony of being a performer is that I have huge insecurities. People are shocked to hear that I think my legs are fat or I don't like the way I look. We all have insecurities. We'd be lying if we said we didn't. I'm so not the Material Girl now. There were many years when I thought fame, fortune, and public approval would bring me happiness. But one day you wake up and realize they don't. Each of us is responsible for everything that happens in our lives. When good things happen -- we win an award, meet the love of our lives, or get a promotion - we take ownership of that. But when bad things happen-we get fired or we divorce-we often don't take responsibility. We call it something that just happened. I no understand that just as we can draw the positive, we can draw the negative." When asked what she knew for sure, Madonna said, "That there are no mistakes or accidents. That consciousness is everything and that all things begin with a thought. That we are responsible for our own fate, we reap what we sow, we get what we give, we pull in what we put out." O Magazine

UMA THURMAN - "One of the things that struck me at fashion shows is how great these incredibly thin women look in photographs but how in real life it's too thin. They would be more attractive if they were a little heavier. And I actually don't think this desire to be rail thin is as pandemic aesthetically as the fashion world presents it to be. I don't think men prefer women to look like that."

ENRIQUE IGLESIAS said his girlfriend snagged him because, "...I'm not keen on girls who are too snobby or arrogant-that's a real turnoff for me. I really like girls who are natural and down to earth."
 TWIST

SALEISHA wants you to be who you are!

"My freshman year I went through a phase when I would think some girl was much prettier than me. Like, she's skinnier, she's taller, she has prettier eyes. I didn't hate myself, but I didn't feel that I was pretty. But at the end of the day, you can't change who you are. You can't go to sleep at night and wake up tomorrow perfectly beautiful. You just have to give what you got, and if [the world] doesn't want it, then they can leave it.
Seventeen

HILLARY SWANK, at the 2005 Academy Awards in her acceptance speech said, "I'm just a girl from a trailor park who had a dream."

"There are things about my childhood that I regret, that my mom regrets, that my dad regrets, and I think that my brother regrets, which is that my parents were so troubled in their relationship that we were kind of neglected at times. The other side of my childhood so overshadows that, though, that it's not something I tend to bring up. Ultimately, my parents did the best they could. A lot of people hold on to something not being the way they think it should've been, and they're messed up because of it. And what's sad about that is that life will be over for your parents one day, and you can be left with what you could have made of the relationship, but didn't. My dad wasn't in my life very much when I was growing up, but I decided that I didn't want his life to be over and for me to say, "Oh, if I'd only grown up I could've had an adult relationship with him." I'm so glad I have my dad in my life right now. Interview

"One of the first producers I worked with told me I had a horrible forehead and my lips were too big."
 US Weekly

EMINEM on judging people:

"...you gotta learn to judge people for the individuals that they are."
Cosmo Girl

JULIANNA MOORE on imperfections:

"I think imperfections are important, just as mistakes are important. You only get to be good by making mistakes, and you only get to be real by being imperfect."
Glamour

CHER - "I'm the girl who everyone said was never going anywhere. I guess I shocked a few people, but deep down I don't feel like I'm there yet either. I'm still just going day to day. I'm just doing my thing."
Chicago Sun-Times

TYRA BANKS - "The modeling industry goes in and out of different styles and body types that are supposed to be hot at that moment. And right now, it's not so much the heroin-chic, because the models are looking a little bit healthier to me--and when I say healthy, I don't even mean body type, I mean just facial pigment and stuff like that. They have blush on their cheeks now again and they look a little healthier. But still such a stick, skinny ideal--which would have worked for me when I was 11 years old because I was 98 pounds and my same height and now I'm 130. So I was really, really thin and insecure. It would have worked well for me to look at that in a magazine and see that that was called beautiful. But the majority of little girls aren't that way. The majority of them are struggling with their weight and are the opposite way. So I just think it's important to show different body types and say that they are all beautiful which is not really what they do. When I lost all this weight--I went to an all-black private elementary school--and all the kids used to call me all kinds of horrible names. Then when I went to a mixed junior high school and all of my white friends would be like, 'Oh my god, you're so gorgeous. You're so skinny. 'By the way, I looked disgusting, I looked sick. But they'd be like 'You're so skinny. I wish I could be like you.' And all my black friends would be like, 'Girl, eat a pork chop! You are so skinny.' And the white guys would be like 'Tyra's cute' and the black guys would be like, 'She's too skinny. She needs some booty. I don't want her.' So it's so cultural. And it's sad because women, when it comes to their body types, are ruled by men in their culture. So white women want to be super skinny because that's what white men seem to be attracted to. And the black guys want more meat."
GQ

JAVIER BARDEM reveals what he finds attractive:

For me, the most attractive woman is the person who is at peace with herself. No matter how good that person looks, when I see somebody at peace, that is sexy to me.
Parade

SALLY FIELD talks about her low-self-esteem:

"Many people must have looked at my life and thought I was quite fortunate. But I felt lousy about myself--and as you now know, I didn't come from a place where I had a lot of self-confidence. In my late 50s I began to embrace myself in a way that I hadn't been able to before. I find that I'm not as worried anymore about what other people think. That's a comfortable place to be. And I'm starting to let go of the feeling that I need to push myself to do things. I don't want to do--an impulse that has always been linked to the feeling that I'm not enough. If you're busy thinking, Gosh, I'm not pretty or smart enough, your spirit is undernourished. The minute you tell yourself, I'm never going to feel those things again, you stop growing because you're too busy armoring yourself."
O Magazine

VIRGINIA MADSON on sexiness

"Real sexiness comes from within. If you punish yourself for all of your flaws, you will never feel or seem sexy at all. Love yourself and celebrate your body."
O Magazine

CINDY CRAWFORD - "...I am my true self in my marriage. I don't have to act or pretend I like football. I'm secure enough that if Rande wants to go out and I don't, I say 'Go and have a good time.' Before, I might have either wanted him to stay or else I would go just to keep an eye on him."
Lifetime Magazine

BRUCE WILLIS - tired of being single?

In the March 21, 05 issue of People Bruce, when asked if he was dating anyone now said: "No. I actually said these words aloud for the first time this year. I'm comfortable being alone. I'm comfortable being single. I may fall in love again, but-for those kids who are listening to Bruce Willis for love advice - any relationship that isn't founded on friendship is just doomed."

HEATHER LOCKLEAR compares herself to beautiful women:

"There are beautiful women, and then there's me. I've seen this face in every mall I've ever been in. I'm not that special. I got lucky-my acting
career just happened."
People

 Who says NICOLE KIDMAN was gawky?

Nora Ephron said, "She (Nicole Kidman) told me that as a teen she was tall and gawky and covered with freckles. She would think, why does this body have to represent me?"
Glamour Magazine
 

 KIRSTY ALLEY - "I think that we're all sort of sick of being judged on how we look no matter if we're too skinny. It seems you can't be just right anymore. You're either too fat or too skinny too old or too young too ethnic or too not, you know. You rarely go wow that girl's just beautiful."
Today Show

CHRISTINA APPLEGATE on being kind to yourself:

"I've seen things written that are really hurtful to me and very painful. I like to look on our ABC blog for feedback on the show. It is supposed to be [a place for people] to talk about the episodes, not about whether I look old. I had one person say I needed to start wearing a bra, and now all I'm doing is thinking about my boobs and if they're saggy. But I just think, Oh, c'mon, Christina! You have to let go and know who you really are. I don't mind my flaws. When you're younger, it feels like the end of the world if you make a mistake or if you have a zit. Now it's like, Who cares? Just try to be happy. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to other people. Do good work. Be professional. All those things are really important.

I'm a big yes-I-will-do-whatever-you-want, people pleasing person, which I think is left over from my youth. I grew up really quickly. I had to be incredibly responsible and show up to work on time and be focused and clear. But now I know what's going to push me too hard, and I don't want to be taken advantage of. In this business, you're treated like you're a superwoman who can do everything, and you can't. You've got to be able to take time for yourself. So I definitely try to say 'No' more. Recently, one of my friends said, 'You need to get out of your house.' But why? I've got everything I need here. I have my animals. I have a refrigerator. I have my pool. My favorite thing to do is play with my dogs and cats. I think it's important to have time to reflect and be quiet and just think. I enjoy my alone time.
Self

"The truth is, I was the ugly, dorky duckling growing up. Even when I would do the show [Married With Children], I would walk away wearing baggy clothes. I was just so underconfident in what I looked like. I never looked in the mirror and never thought that I was a pretty girl. Boys never hit on me. I really wanted to be that hoochie mama in the club, the one that guys all wanted to look at and grab, but I just could not be that person."

JOHN CUSACK tells what he thinks is sexy:

"Almost everything about women is sexy. But it's just the person, the way they are, the way they move across a room. Sometimes it's confidence, a kind of attitude. The most sexy people I know are the ones who have the guts to just be themselves. It's hard to find people like that in Hollywood. If somebody is putting on an act, it's a sideshow that doesn't last."
Cosmopolitan

SALMA HAYEK urges fans to not be impressed with her:

"In my world, you have to be so beautiful, so skinny, so rich, so famous - and I don't believe you really have to be any of those things. You simply have to be who you are. I do have thighs and a butt. I have cellulite. Don't be too impressed with me. Don't try to dress like me or wear your hair like mine. Find your own style. Don't spend your savings trying to be someone else. You're not more important, smarter, or prettier because you wear a designer dress. I get them free and I'm too lazy to go out and look for my own. I, a rich girl from Mexico, came here with designer clothes. And one day, when I was starving in an apartment in Los Angeles, I looked at my Chanel blouses and said, "If only I could pay the rent with one of these." 
O magazine

ALFRE WOODARD's advice on self-esteem:

"When I was growing up in Tulsa, the kids called me bubble lips and frog eyes. My mama always said, "Oh, you're such a pretty girl," and I believed I was, thanks to her encouragement. Still, this was before the "black is beautiful" era of the 1970s, and everything around me seemed to negate my particular look - especially movies. The screen is one of the most influential tools in our lives, and if you don't see yourself represented it's almost as if you don't exist. As I got older, I was drawn to the power and possibility for healing that cinema and the theater offered the world, and even though I didn't resemble the typical actress - or maybe because of it - I moved to Hollywood. At auditions I was constantly told that I looked too much like an African and not enough like an African-American. I thought, this is as African-American as you get - my family has been here for 400 years! The hues of America were not being celebrated. Instead, everybody was trying to fit a homogeneous image. Then in 1986, I traveled to Zimbabwe for the first time to shoot the TV movie Mandela. I felt as if I'd been given a pure shot of oxygen. Suddenly, I was part of the dominant culture. I saw people like me. They had round faces and large eyes, with skin so warm and lips so full that I almost wanted to kiss strangers. I'd been living in Los Angeles, a world full of cubic zirconias, and here I was in the land of deep, rich-colored, genuine gemstones. I felt organically beautiful for the first time in my life. It may sound immodest, but I realized that my presence in movies gives that same validation to other young black women. They can feel free to walk their walk, swing their hips, and flash their smiles because they see themselves up on the screen. Everybody has a part of her body that she doesn't like, but I've stopped complaining about mine because I don't want to critique nature's handiwork. There's no such thing as imperfection. My job is simply to allow the light to shine
out of the masterpiece."
O Magazine