Lauren Jauregui has spoken about embracing her body and dismissing online criticism while attending the 2026 MTV VMAs.
The 30-year-old singer discussed body confidence with E! News correspondent Keltie Knight on the red carpet, saying she was proud not to conform to expectations about women’s bodies.
“Honestly, I feel like it’s punk as f*** to not be a twig right now, and that’s kind of where I’m at,” Jauregui said. “I am a woman. I fluctuate like all women do.”
Jauregui also revealed that she lives with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition she said was not often discussed.
“I think I’m beautiful,” she said, adding that her sense of self no longer depended on other people’s opinions or external validation. “Like I’m still doing my thing, and I’m still a star.”
The former Fifth Harmony member said she had reached a stage in her life where hostile comments no longer affected her in the same way.
“I think I’ve grown and matured to a point where like the hatred doesn’t really phase me,” she said. “Because I’ve realized a lot of what people get online when people get online to be to like wield vitriol, it’s usually because they hate themselves, and they are not doing better than you. So, I don’t really give a f***.”
Jauregui has previously spoken about longstanding struggles with her body image. Appearing on Red Table Talk: The Estefans in 2021, she said bullying at school had contributed to those difficulties.
“I have body image issues. I have had them since bullying that happened to me in fifth grade. People telling me that I was ugly,” she said.
She also recalled receiving cruel comments about swimsuit photographs posted online, including remarks that she looked like a whale and was fat.
“I realized I was searching for these negative comments because they were the validation of my insecurity,” Jauregui said.
