Model Proudly Shares a Photo of Her Cellulite to Get Over Years of Hating It: ‘Enough Was Enough’

Model Sophie Turner is over hating her cellulite — and she wants to help people realize that having it is totally normal.

Turner decided that her negative feelings about her cellulite had to change after seeing some behind-the-scenes photos of herself from a recent shoot. At first, she hated the images.

“I was angry about it because I hadn’t noticed my cellulite was that severe before,” Turner, 22, tells PEOPLE. “I felt disgusting.”

But instead of dwelling on her cellulite, something she’s had since age 12, the Scottish model decided “enough was enough.”

“I’ve lost weight in the past and my cellulite has always been there,” she explains. “It’s something I’ve grown up with, so I thought, why should I be ashamed of it when over 90 percent of women have it? Why shouldn’t we embrace it?”

Turner decided to share the image on Instagram, in the hopes that it would help others.

“I wanted to let other women know they’re not alone, that it’s normal to have cellulite and we need to normalize it,” she says. “It’s about time people see real bodies and not photoshopped ones.”

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Her post immediately struck a chord with people who understood that internal conflict, and it now has over 14,600 likes and hundreds of comments.

“It’s so amazing knowing I’ve helped other women, and it makes me so happy having women who support me and want to love themselves more,” Turner says. “Obviously with everything on social media I have received a few negative ones — not everyone will support my opinion, which I understand.”

She adds, though, that she’s not trying to promote an unhealthy lifestyle, as some people have accused her of doing. “Cellulite has just always been a part of me,” Turner says.

“I think it’s important to love yourself.”