- Ariel Winter has come quite a long way on her journey to body positivity.
- The star told Us Weekly that being called a "hooker" and "slut" when she was 13 impacted her self-esteem.
- She has since become self-confident and embraces body positivity.
- These days, the actress always has the perfect response to body-shaming trolls.
- "It's difficult to not write something sassy, but I feel better when I write something positive," she said.
Ariel Winter has come quite a long way on her journey to body positivity. In a recent interview with Us Weekly, the 19-year-old actress opened up about how being body-shamed as a child star impacted her mental health.
"I was completely flat and would get ridiculed for that," she said. "I started trying to dress for my body and was called a slut or a fat hooker. It got even worse as I was turning 13, 14, 15. It really took so much of my self- esteem."
The actress told Us Weekly that she still feels self-conscious sometimes, but she combats her insecurities with positivity.
"[Being positive] makes you feel better about yourself," she said.
The "Modern Family" actress loves to channel that positive energy into responding to body-shaming trolls.
"It's difficult to not write something sassy [in response], but I feel better when I write something positive. Maybe they'll not write something hurtful next time," she said.
At the end of the day, the actress said she's really not bothered with what anyone else thinks about her.
"The only person that matters is yourself. If you're happy, if you're confident, that's all that matters," she said.
Sign up here to get INSIDER's favorite stories straight to your inbox.
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: Taylor Swift went to Target to buy her new album, and her fans absolutely lost it