Nelly Furtado Is A Body Positive Icon In Her 40s And An Inspiration To Women Everywhere

Earlier in 2025, Nelly Furtado gained some weight and leaned into her naturally curvy look, speaking out about her “self-love and genuine confidence” after her appearance changed. The 46-year-old celebrity, who first rose to popularity in the 90s, has been praised for her body-positive attitude and ‘gorgeous curves’ on social media after sharing a post on Instagram where she discussed her conscious choice to go natural with her looks.

In January, she flaunted her stunning figure in a bikini, cementing her return to the spotlight as a body-positive beauty after taking a six-year break to focus on motherhood and her personal life. Today, Furtado, a mother of three, actively advocates for ADHD after receiving a diagnosis in 2023. In the same year, Furtado successfully posed for her first magazine shoot in six years. Her eldest daughter, Nevis, is soon turning 22 years old. She also has a younger daughter and son, whom she had in her 40s.

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With so many celebs opting for plastic surgery and social media filters galore spreading unrealistic standards for women’s bodies, it’s refreshing to see a star encouraging people to embrace themselves as they are and depicting a realistic body for a woman in her 40s. Along with her sizzling bikini post on IG, Furtado shared the following inspiring letter to her fans:

‘This year I became aware of the aesthetic pressure of my work in a brand new way, while simultaneously I experienced new levels of self -love and genuine confidence from within…

‘I had to pursue some legal action against a few charlatans online selling services based on selling health and beauty myths about me .

‘For whoever cares , I have never had any face or body surgeries or augmentation, besides for veneers on the top row of my teeth , quite recently…

‘So far, I have not had any face or lip injections or fillers of any kind , but I do have a loving , old school facialist who I purchase serums and creams from and I started that when I was 20. The day before photo shoots and red carpets , I drink a lot of water and sleep on my back…

‘Sometimes on the red carpet or at photo shoots my makeup artist uses face tape to give my eyes , skin and makeup more lift. Sometimes my stylist uses body tape to give a certain look to different silhouettes .

‘Body makeup can also sometimes be contoured to achieve a certain look. Makeup can do magical things ! So can great eyebrows ! So can a great hairstylist ! So can great underthings !

‘These photos I have no makeup and there is no editing or filters on these photos but I do have a spray tan ! I have spider veins and they remind me of my mom and aunties and life so I think that’s why I haven’t parted with them so far…

‘My New Year’s message for 2025, is express yourself freely , celebrate your individuality and know that it’s perfectly OK to be OK with what you see in the mirror , and it’s also OK to want something different . We are all cute little humans just bouncing around the earth looking for hugs’.

She ended the post mentioning that her message wasn’t written to “hate on anyone” and that she simply wanted to tell her story. The positive response was overwhelming from fans, with users writing comments like, “This was the content I needed in this current Ozempic era… So so beautiful. Inside and out…” and “She’s in her 40s, and has 3 kids of course she’s not Miss Skinny Minnie. She looks great!… She definitely looks healthier now than she did when she was younger. Too thin then. Looking good Nelly.”

Today, she has more of a passion for fashion than she did in her younger years and is happy to have experienced a self-professed ‘glow up’. This passion isn’t surprising, since many of her family members were tailors and seamstresses. In an interview with Vogue, she said that she was having more fun with her sense of style these days and always had an instinct that she would have a second act in her 40s. Her biggest style lesson? When your closet has the right pieces, it allows you to both dress spontaneously and plan looks better.

While Furtado already has three kids whom she actively co-parents with her ex, she hasn’t closed the door on more kids in the future. She has expressed an interest in getting married and having more children in the next few years, which wouldn’t be surprising, as one of her grandmothers had 8 kids and the other had 10.

In Furtado’s new chapter, one of her main goals is to be a role model for other moms and women, spreading the message that even if you’re in your 40s, you can rediscover your talent and take the jump. After coming back to fame after 6 years out of the spotlight, she urged people to recognize that while she is a mother, that’s just part of her identity, and she’s also “the mother of my creativity and art,” which should be nurtured. She called being an artist her purpose and spoke on the importance of letting go of that maternal guilt so that she could attain more fulfillment and happiness. Wishing Nelly Furtado the best in her new chapter!