Ariel Winter opened up about her decision to undergo breast reduction surgery [1] back in August after battling severe back pain and relentless body shaming [2]. Now the Modern Family actress is proud of her scars and is using her experience to inspire others. At the SAG Awards this past Saturday, she stunned in a sophisticated and skin-baring black dress and later took to Instagram to encourage others to embrace their bodies.

Embrace all that you are... Scars & everything. Your imperfections make you perfectly you ❤️ #loveyourself [3]

A photo posted by Ariel Winter (@arielwinter) on Feb 2, 2016 at 7:55am PST

She also made a statement on Twitter defending her decision not to cover up the scars.

Guys there is a reason I didn't make an effort to cover up my scars! They are part of me and I'm not ashamed of them at all. :)

— Ariel Winter (@arielwinter1) January 31, 2016 [4]