Sam Smith Posts Shirtless Pic To Overcome Body Shame

Sam Smith (photo: Ryan Pfluger)

Here's something most of us mere mortals can relate to.

Grammy Award winner Sam Smith posted a shirtless photo of himself on a beach to his Instagram as he works towards overcoming his own sense of body shame.

In the caption, the singer admits he used to starve himself before photoshoots because of what he saw in the mirror.

"Yesterday I decided to fight the fuck back," wrote Smith. "Reclaim my body and stop trying to change this chest and these hips and these curves that my mum and dad made and love so unconditionally."

The shirtless pic was shot by photographer Ryan Pfluger on an undisclosed beach.

View this post on Instagram

In the past if I have ever done a photo shoot with so much as a t-shirt on, I have starved myself for weeks in advance and then picked and prodded at every picture and then normally taken the picture down. Yesterday I decided to fight the fuck back. Reclaim my body and stop trying to change this chest and these hips and these curves that my mum and dad made and love so unconditionally. Some may take this as narcissistic and showing off but if you knew how much courage it took to do this and the body trauma I have experienced as a kid you wouldn’t think those things. Thank you for helping me celebrate my body AS IT IS @ryanpfluger I have never felt safer than I did with you. I’ll always be at war with this bloody mirror but this shoot and this day was a step in the right fucking direction 👅🤘🏼🍑

A post shared by Sam Smith (@samsmith) on Feb 12, 2019 at 10:15am PST

The post has garnered over 1 million likes since it was posted yesterday.

Here's Smith's full caption from the post:

In the past if I have ever done a photo shoot with so much as a t-shirt on, I have starved myself for weeks in advance and then picked and prodded at every picture and then normally taken the picture down.

Yesterday I decided to fight the fuck back. Reclaim my body and stop trying to change this chest and these hips and these curves that my mum and dad made and love so unconditionally.

Some may take this as narcissistic and showing off but if you knew how much courage it took to do this and the body trauma I have experienced as a kid you wouldn’t think those things.

Thank you for helping me celebrate my body AS IT IS @ryanpfluger I have never felt safer than I did with you.

I’ll always be at war with this bloody mirror but this shoot and this day was a step in the right fucking direction.

Tons of fans applauded the post, including America's Next Top Model champ Nyle DiMarco, who wrote, "You look beautiful and I love that you’re embracing yourself. The benefits of embracing yourself outweigh the fallbacks of hiding. ALWAYS BE YOU!"

Out singer/songwriter (and newly-crowned 3-time Grammy Award winner) Brandi Carlile chimed in, "Sam. You look absolutely beautiful and healthy and you always have to me. You are a fucking dream. No one like you - I will get in a bar fight with anyone who says anything less."

Sarah Jessica Parker added, "Simply divine my friend. Never more beautiful. I miss you."

Pfluger posted the photo on his own Instagram, writing,

"My MFA thesis was on how photography is therapy. I did a TEDx talk on how photography is therapy. I feel so lucky to have met the people I have in my career & even luckier to create meaningful connections after working with people. @samsmith thank you for trusting me to facilitate photographs that empower your ownership of your body and mind. I honestly wish everyone relinquished themselves to the experience like you did. An experience that has brought us closer together & I look forward to creating with you through the years. All the love. Xoxo"