Hilary Duff’s Nude Magazine Cover Shoot Is Being Compared With Britney Spears’ Naked Instagram Photos After People Pointed Out The Astounding Difference In Reaction

Hilary’s groundbreaking cover has sparked a discussion around the scrutiny Britney receives for her naked photos, with several fans also noting that various celebrities — like Kim Kardashian — haven’t received the same concern for sharing nude selfies.

Hilary Duff went viral on Tuesday for her nude cover shoot for Women’s Health magazine.

Modeling for the publication’s “Body Issue,” Hilary also unveiled a nude photo shoot, along with a candid interview discussing body positivity and acceptance.

Speaking about how “proud” she’s been of her body over the years, Hilary — who was just 14 years old when her hit Disney sitcom Lizzie McGuire premiered in 2001 — noted that she felt pressured to look a certain way because of her career, and consequently suffered a “horrifying” eating disorder at 17.

“Because of my career path, I can’t help but be like, ‘I am on camera and actresses are skinny,’” she told WH.

Hilary, now 34, went on: “I’m proud of my body. I’m proud that it’s produced three children for me. I’ve gotten to a place of being peaceful with the changes my body has gone through. I also want people to know a makeup artist was there putting glow all over my body and someone put me in the most flattering position.”

And posting about the nude cover on Instagram, Hilary wrote that she felt “strong and beautiful” during the shoot, despite having found it “scary.”

“Sooooo, this was scary….. I knew doing this would terrify me and I was right! @womenshealthmag had the most lovely all-women shoot and I actually had the best time. I felt strong and beautiful and laughed a lot getting into some of these poses without my high waisted mom jeans and oversized whatever I normally wear,” she said.

Hilary’s nude magazine cover quickly received huge praise online, with the How I Met Your Father star trending across Twitter while tons of people — celebrities and otherwise — shared kind words of admiration.

Among all the commentary, Hilary’s shoot was often described as “liberating” and “classy.” One person called it a “perfect example of how a childhood star can actually grow up to be a well-adjusted, loving, ‘normal,’ strong, and fantastic example of a working woman and human in entertainment and beyond.”

Others hailed Hilary an “inspiration on many levels” as they commended her confidence throughout her journey toward embracing her body.

But the overwhelming amount of positive praise toward Hilary quickly reminded many people of another celebrity whose self-shared naked photos receive a drastically different reaction: Britney Spears.

Britney has posted minimally censored photos of herself on Instagram for months. She previously explained that she was posting the topless and nude photos in a bid to reclaim her body after feeling constrained for 13 years under the terms of her conservatorship, which saw her life tightly controlled by her father and a group of lawyers from 2008 until November 2021.

Ever since the legal arrangement was terminated following a strenuous battle in court last year, Britney — who’s currently expecting a child with soon-to-be-husband Sam Asghari — has seemingly grown more and more comfortable with flaunting her body online.

But Britney’s photos have attracted a negative response, with some calling them “disturbing” and embarrassing.”

In fact, the criticism that Britney received led her to defend her images earlier this year. “Alrightyyy then folks … showing my bod in French Polynesia as a rebel and free WOMAN !!!!! I WILL DO BIG LETTERS CAUSE I THINK THAT MEANS IT’S IMPORTANT AND I DON’T WANT TO BE LEFT OUT,” she wrote in a now-deleted Instagram caption.

In light of all this, some people on Twitter are questioning the difference in reaction to Hilary and Britney’s photos. One popular tweet reads: “I adore Hilary and she looks incredible, but the difference in comments on her post compared to Britney doing the same thing is astounding.”

“People are so brainwashed by social media that they think nudity is wrong unless you've hired a photographer and glam team,” they added, referencing the fact that Britney’s photos are often of low quality and appear to have been taken on a cellphone.

Adding to this point, one user wrote: “When its paid and when its brushed photoshoped and done by a photographer its good if its done by yourself then you are crazy i guess thats the logic here.”

Another simply questioned: “Hilary Duff posts a nude photoshoot and everyone praises her, Britney Spears posts her own nudes from her phone and she’s shamed. Can someone explain the difference?”

Hilary Duff posts a nude photoshoot and everyone praises her, Britney Spears posts her own nudes from her phone and she’s shamed. Can someone explain the difference?

Twitter: @treyursogay

Some people pointed out that Britney’s nude photos receiving such criticism now — when she’s 40 and free from the constraints of her conservatorship — is all the more odd given that she was glorified for posing on the cover of Rolling Stone in underwear at the age of 17.

And Britney was praised for participating in professional shoots all but naked throughout her early 20s, notably appearing topless on the front page of the same magazine a few years later.

“would they have a problem if it was on the cover of a magazine?" one person asked: you know... like she's done so many times when she was younger? why is it "concerning" now that she's just enjoying herself?”

Elsewhere, several people noted that the concept of celebrities posing naked is nothing new. Listing a few examples, one pointed out that Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, and Christina Aguilera are just three famous faces who have done various nude photo shoots.

And while these celebrities have certainly faced scrutiny for their photos, none have received an overwhelmingly negative response in the way that Britney does, much of which is framed around concern for her well-being.

A direct side-by-side of Kim famous Paper magazine shoot and Britney’s posts was even reshared by the Instagram page Hollywood Unlocked, in which the poster questions the difference in public attitude toward both photos.

On Twitter, another person compared the opposing reactions, writing: “When Kim Kardashian poses nude it's ok? When Hilary Duff who posed nude for a cover shoot for a magazine it's ok but when Britney Spears [does] the same thing you idiots say she's nuts & needs help? Talk about double standards. Women should be able to do WHATEVER without judgement!”

As the conversation developed, some users argued that because these celebrities’ naked photos were professionally shot, they can be classed as “editorial” and “artistic.” One person labeled Kim, Kendall, and Christina’s pictures as “on brand” and “sleek” as opposed to the lower-quality photos shared by Britney.

However, it’s still nothing new to see celebs candidly posting self-taken and self-censored photos to their Instagram pages.

When we're like...we both have nothing to wear LOL @emrata

Twitter: @kimkardashian

Back in 2016, Kim posted a minimally censored mirror selfie on Instagram, in which she’s posing completely naked. “When you're like I have nothing to wear LOL,” she jokingly captioned it.

Another celebrity who has shared her own naked photos is model and actor Cara Delevingne. In a candid photo dump posted last August, the star included a nude mirror selfie, adding just a single heart emoji to cover herself.

And given that these celebrities didn’t face such an onslaught of concern when posting their selfies, fans are now rallying behind Britney and her freedom to share photos in the same way — especially considering that she spent years sexualized in the industry, and that she’s defended her nude pictures time and again.

Skip to footer