Lena Dunham is well known for bearing her stark-naked frame on HBO. Though it's come with controversy, the nudity on her show "Girls" has also engendered a much-needed conversation about the female bodies we're used to seeing on television.

"I am comforted by the fact that I find a real range of female bodies beautiful, and I hope that other people do, too," Dunham told Gawker. "And even if they don't find it beautiful I hope they're just glad that something like it is happening on TV."

Dunham has written candidly about her off-screen relationship with her body, both in her book and on social media. She provides the type of unique female presence that challenges us to rethink -- and reprioritize -- our ideas of beauty.

Photograph courtesy of Elle.com

In the 14 years that Kelly Clarkson has been famous (yeah, we can't believe it either), she has transformed from a wide-eyed 20-year-old to a self-possessed career woman and mother. Like any normal, childbearing human, Clarkson's weight has fluctuated over the years -- but it seems to bother her far less than it does the media.

"I don't obsess about my weight, which is probably one of the reasons why other people have such a problem with it," Clarkson said in Redbook.

Clarkson genuinely doesn't sweat over the number on her scale, and she's able to talk about her weight with a rare sense of humor. "We are who we are -- whatever size," she went on to tell Ellen Degeneres. "And it doesn't mean that we're gonna be that forever.... I'm such a creative person that I yo-yo. Sometimes I'm more fit and I get into kickboxing hardcore. And then sometimes I don't, and I'm like ... I'd rather have wine."

We feel you, girl.

Photograph courtesy of RCA Records

Academy Award-winning 26-year-old and certified cool girl Jennifer Lawrence has said that early on in her career, multiple industry higher-ups told her she needed to lose weight to succeed. Now, she says, "If anybody even tries to whisper the word 'diet,' I'm like, 'You can go f*ck yourself." Amen.

As one of the most visible (and highest paid) actors in Hollywood, Lawrence takes her role model status seriously. She has spoken about how sensitive she was to giving young fans of the "Hunger Games" a strong, healthy-looking heroine. "I don't want little girls to be like 'Oh, I want to look like Katniss, so I'm going to skip dinner,'" she said. "That's something I was really conscious of during training, when you're trying to get your body to look exactly right. I was trying to get my body to look fit and strong -- not thin and underfed."

Photograph courtesy of Dior.com

Hollywood is not always kind to plus-sized women of color. But Gabourey Sidibe is a "staple definition of confidence," says Falsetto. Over the years, the "Precious" star has endured "countless scrutinizing remarks related to her weight, her skin color, her hair and more. Despite all of that, her powerful and graceful sense of self combats every ounce of ignorance thrown at her."

The actress continues to defy Hollywood stereotypes with her role in the Fox series "Empire." "She hasn't let her looks, or better put, what people think of her looks, limit or define her talent," Falsetto says.

Photograph courtesy of BlackFilm.com

Melissa McCarthy is one of the funniest women in Hollywood right now -- and also one of the most trailblazing. "McCarthy has taken the media's perception of what her figure represents, and turned it on its head by starting her own fashion line," Falsetto says of the actress' brand, Melissa McCarthy Seven7.

McCarthy told Vogue that she always loved fashion and wanted to pursue it, and that she often found herself disappointed with the clothing options available for plus-size women. With her line, McCarthy aims to bring fun, personal, high-end style to women of all sizes. "What her fashion line represents is a message of solidarity that Hollywood is always in need of," says Falsetto.

Photograph courtesy of Glamour.com