Actress and singer Sarah Hyland had more than just her new single to be proud of at the Teen Choice Awards.
The Modern Family star has always been open and transparent with her fans in regard to her ongoing health issues. From posting bare-faced selfies from the hospital to making her political views on healthcare known, Hyland’s voice resonates with many affected by chronic illness. Hyland has Kidney Dysplasia, meaning her kidneys did not develop properly during prenatal development. As a result, she has undergone two kidney transplants and remained on steroids to save her life and keep her new kidneys functioning properly.
But these surgeries and medications aren’t the easiest on the body. On top of surgical scars, kidney transplants alter the physical look of the body. Kidneys are typically located in the lower back, but in transplants, surgeons must place the organs in the lower abdominal region, often creating a bump of sorts.
Hyland has previously admitted to wearing two pairs of Spanx on the Red Carpet to keep her abdomen smoothed out. But in an Instagram post thanking fans for the support of her performance at the TCA’s, she also thanked herself and her confidence for intentionally nixing the Spanx for the performance, letting her bangin’ and real body show.
“Yesterday I had my first nationally televised performance of a song I did with the amazing @jordanmcgraw. I was terrified. I was excited. There was a PHENOMENAL crowd supporting us the entire way through. Thank you so much to everyone who watched! Thank you @teenchoicefox for having us!! And a final thank you to my ever-changing self-confidence for making the decision to not wear Spanx and let my [kidney area] shine like the badass bitch she is,” she wrote.
We stan a queen that normalized different body types and are here for the honesty.