Courtney Stodden has opened up about the challenges of embracing body positivity after being sexualized at a young age. The 31-year-old reality TV personality, who first entered the spotlight at 16, has previously spoken about struggling with body dysmorphia and the hurtful comments from online trolls.
Sharing Her Journey on Instagram
On Wednesday, the blonde star took to Instagram to reflect on her 15-year journey in the public eye. 'For a really long time I felt ashamed of my body and honestly not because of me but because of what people projected onto me and then blamed me for after,' she wrote. 'People blamed me for what happened to me at 16 because of my body and the way I looked instead of asking why grown adults were looking at a teenager that way in the first place.'
At 16, Stodden married Hollywood actor Doug Hutchison, now 66, a union that drew heavy criticism despite her being a minor. She often dressed provocatively in tight minidresses and platform heels, but faced backlash in the press and online.
Critiquing Society's Double Standards
'That's the part nobody wants to talk about. Society sexualizes women constantly especially young women and then somehow we become the villain for existing in the body they were projecting onto in the first place,' she noted. Stodden added that this mindset 'really f***ed with my head for years. It made me feel like being proud of my body meant I deserved disrespect or objectification or cruelty.'
Now older, she recognizes how 'backwards and honestly disturbing' that mindset is. She asserted that women 'should be allowed to feel beautiful and hot and confident without people acting like that takes away our humanity or intelligence or pain.'
A Message of Self-Love
'I don't care if you're size 0 or plus size or tall or short or anything in between we are all allowed to love ourselves openly,' she wrote. Stodden emphasized that women face enough judgment in a patriarchal world, adding, 'So yeah I'm finally learning that loving my body isn't something I need to apologize for anymore and honestly I hope more women get there too.'
Support from Husband Jared Safier
In a subsequent post, Stodden dedicated words to her husband, Jared Safier, who commented 'I love you.' The couple married on December 3, 2024, in an intimate Palm Springs ceremony with 20 guests, after planning the wedding in just three weeks. They celebrated their first anniversary in December 2025.
'I've lived in the fast lane for so long that sometimes I forget what safe love even feels like. Then there's Jared,' she began. 'He came into my life when I was at one of my lowest points and somehow he's loved me through every messy part of it. Grief, fear, chaos, healing… all of it.'
Stodden acknowledged that their relationship isn't perfect, noting, 'We've had rough moments, really rough moments, but somehow we always come back stronger and softer with each other.' She also hinted at possibly becoming a mother, saying, 'He knows how afraid I've been of motherhood because of my past. But for the first time in my life I look at a man and know my future daughter or son would have a good father. That feeling is priceless to me.'
She concluded, 'And coming from a self proclaimed man hater lol… when I say he's a good man, I do not say that lightly. Love you @jaredsafier.'
