Body positivity was front and center for us all in 2015—though we have more progress to make, the increased presence and representation of women of all colors and sizes in mainstream media has made us optimistic for the future. Check out some of the most body positive celebrity moments from this year, below!

1. Caitlyn Jenner is featured on a Vanity Fair cover

This past June, Caitlyn Jenner graced the cover of Vanity Fair with the simple phrase “Call me Caitlyn.” Her cover was historical for many reasons, such as its front-and-center representation of a trans woman in mainstream media as well as its celebration of a woman over 60. Despite the controversey Caitlyn has been facing as of late, her coming out has helped spark more open discussion on topics of gender and sexuality. This has help teach us all that we should present our bodies in whatever way makes us feel the best, not based on how the rest of the world will perceive us.

2. Gabourey Sidibe has a sex scene on Empire

People of all size and ethnicities have sex—even though mainstream media seems to think otherwise. So it was amazing to see this represented on television! This ground-breaking Empire scene featured a plus size woman getting it on with an average sized partner, yet there was no mention of her weight. Instead, the scene made this interaction seem very normal—because that’s what it is! The more often television shows people of all sizes having romantic and sexual interactions, the more representative it will be of the love lives of everyone.

3. Erica Jean Schenk covers Women’s Running

Plus size model Schenk was featured on the cover of Women’s Running, another great moment for body positive activists everywhere. Many people think that people who are heavier are lazy and don’t exercise—and that is totally not the case! It was amazing to see a woman who isn’t your traditional fitness model on the cover of a health magazine. Your body size and type do not necessarily represent your health and fitness levels, so this photoshoot is helping to break such misconceptions.

4. Jamie Brewer rocks the runway at New York Fashion Week

This past February, actress Jamie Brewer walked the runway as the first model with Down’s syndrome to walk at New York Fashion Week. She walked in designer Carrie Hammer’s Role Models Not Runway Models show, which was aimed at giving women of all abilities, ethnicities and sizes representation in this historic fashion event. All types of women enjoy fashion and we are so happy to see diversity on the runway. This is definitely the start of a platform that is going to radically change the fashion industry as we know it.

5. Ashley Nell Tipton wins Project Runway

This year marked two major milestones for Project Runway’s 14th season: Not only was Ashley Nell Tipton the first plus size designer to compete on the show, she also became the first designer with a plus size collection to win. Tipton’s win is a huge accomplishment for plus size positivity and serves to demonstrate a change that is quickly happening within the fashion industry, geared towards the acceptance of all different body sizes.

6. Sports Illustrated pledges to feature plus size models in its pages

Sports Illustrated is known for sexualizing images of women with “perfect” bodies, so it’s great to see that they’re branching out from their traditional models to feature a more representative selection of women. Showing models of all types works to represent the variation between body sizes and why we should love them all.

7. Zendaya calls out a magazine for Photoshopping her image

After posing for a photoshoot with Modeliste, Zendaya slammed the publication for photoshopping her pictures to give her unrealistic body proportions. She wrote in an Instagram post, “These are the things that make women self-conscious. That create the unrealistic ideals of beauty we have.” The magazine later announced that they would replace the retouched photos with the original. Photoshop works to reaffirm the unattainable standards which all women are pitted against. We love that Zendaya is one of many celebrities who are speaking against photo retouching and promoting self love instead.

8. Ariel Winters opens up about her breast reduction

The media was quick to criticize the breast reduction Ariel Winters underwent earlier this year, saying she was too young for plastic surgery and implying she was setting a bad example for all the teens who look up to her. In response, Winters opened up to Glamour about her surgery and discussed how it was a deeply personal decision that led to her being happier with her body than ever. Women should be able to make their own decisions regarding their bodies—whether that’s to go under the knife or not. Winters taught everyone this year about self love and acceptance, and the importance of never changing yourself for anyone but you.

9. Milk Management signs Tess Holliday

Tess Holliday is the empowering plus size model who began the #effyourbeautystandards movement, and this year, she’s had some incredible breakthroughs. Holliday was signed to Milk Management, a major modeling agency, and this is definitely a sign of the increasing acceptance of all types of sizes in the fashion industry. She is the first model who is above a size 20 to secure this kind of contract. We can’t wait to see Holliday’s next moves in the coming year!

10. Haraam Kaur does a bridal shoot with Rock N’ Roll Bride

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is a condition that is said to affect one in 10 women. However, no one likes to talk about the side effects, which include extreme body hair growth. Body image activist Haraam Kaur, who has this syndrome, rocked some awesome facial hair for her photoshoot and helped break down conventional standards of beauty. Her photoshoot proves everyone is beautiful in their own special way, despite what society says, and they should never let anyone tell them otherwise!

11. Chrissy Teigen promises to stop editing her Instagram posts

Chrissy gave us even more reasons this year to love her (as if we needed more)! Last April, the supermodel said in an interview that she has stopped using editing apps to achieve the perfect Instagram photos. She shared, “We’ve forgotten what normal people look like now. The standard is so ridiculous.” Chrissy is totally right. We shouldn’t need to spend hours editing our photos to feel good about our bodies—we should love them just as they are. Hopefully Chrissy’s vow to love her body sans edits will inspire other celebrities to do the same and inspire women to appreciate themselves the way they are.

12. Lauren Conrad banned the words skinny, slim and thin from her website

Who decided that skinny always means beautiful, anyway? Lauren Conrad decided to ban these types of words in favor of ones such as “fit,” “toned” and “healthy.” She explained, “Every body is created differently—and healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes.” We love that Lauren’s focus will now be on being healthy, regardless of your shape.

13. The Pirelli calendar highlights more diverse women

The Pirelli calendar is known for shooting scantily clad women in suggestive positions, but this year, they completely revamped their image. This year, the calendar featured women based on their achievements and not for their looks, highlighting women such as Serena Williams, Amy Schumer and Yoko Ono. It also represented a wide range of ages, ethnicities, and sizes. Now that is girl power!

There were certainly many more amazing demonstrations of body positivity that we saw in 2015—these examples are all working towards inspiring young individuals to love the bodies they have because there is absolutely no reason not to. It has been awesome to see more representation and acceptance in the media this year and we can’t wait to see what steps forward are made in 2016!

The 13 Most Body Positive Celebrity Moments in 2015