One in 10 women suffer from endometriosis and it doesn't discriminate. Celebrities like country legend Dolly Parton, Monica, Alexa Chung, Chrissy Teigen, Gabrielle Union-Wade, Olivia Culpo, and Halsey all live with the condition, which can be painful, debilitating, and tough when it comes to fashion.
Fashion writer Tabitha Britt recently opened up to Fashion Times about her personal journey of being diagnosed with endometriosis and how it dramatically affected her life and wardrobe choices. Read her story to discover how she navigates dressing on tough days here. The chronic inflammatory condition occurs when endometrial-like tissue grows outside the uterus and can spread to the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and pelvic cavity resulting in severe pain in the pelvis area, putting extra pressure on the abdomen and making it difficult to get pregnant.
Ahead, these celebrities have all opened up about their endometriosis diagnosis, raising much-needed awareness for the condition.
Halsey
Halsey hasn't let her diagnosis stop her from "living a crazy, WILD, rewarding life," she once said. The Without me singer courageously opened up about her experience at the 2022 Grammys where she donned a zipped leather corset gown from Pressiat. She revealed that her first time at the awards came just three days after her first endometriosis surgery. "I walked the carpet with my stitches still in. As luck would have it, I'm attending [the Grammys] for the first time in years and I had surgery again (you guessed it) three days ago," the star recalled in an Instagram post.
Alexa Chung
Alexa Chung, a respected authority in fashion who also has the condition, made statement worth noting through her clothes in collaboration with the World Endometriosis Research Foundation (WERF) in 2021. Through her eponymous label ALEXACHUNG, the model designed a pair of T-shirts that read "Emmeline," with proceeds going to more extensive research on the condition and preventative measures. "The reason I knew about it was because I read Lena Dunham's account of her journey...It is something we should be talking about and I'm so happy to be in a position where I might effect change, or at least raise awareness. But even saying that, it just feels so personal.." Chung told Refinery 29.
Olivia Culpo
After opening up about her diagnosis three years ago, Olivia Culpo saw 12 doctors before receiving any proper help. "The debilitating pain happened and continued to progress as I got older and that's when it really started to affect my day-to-day life where I really could not function," she explained on the SHE MD podcast.
Lena Dunham
In Vogue's 2018 March issue, Dunham wrote a personal essay "Losing It" that shared what it's like living with the condition as well as her decision to get a hysterectomy, which posed even more difficulty to becoming a mother. "Because I had to work so hard to have my pain acknowledged, there was no time to feel fear or grief. To say goodbye," she wrote.
Gabrielle Union-Wade
The actress shared that she and husband Dwyane Wade weren't able to naturally conceive due to being diagnosed with adenomyosis which is a form of endometriosis. "Towards the end of my fertility journey I finally got some answers, because everyone said 'You're a career woman, you've prioritized your career, you waited too long and now you're just too old to have a kid — and that's on you for wanting a career. The reality is I actually have adenomyosis....Just know if you are out there having fertility issues — you are not alone," she said at the 2017 Blog Her conference.
Dolly Parton
The Jolene star also underwent a hysterectomy to resolve the issue in 1985, resulting in a battle with depression. "I was working hard, and underneath I was a pile of personal and emotional problems. All at once I fell apart," Parton said.
Amy Schumer
Schumer has been quite candid about her experience with endometriosis, having her uterus and appendix removed because of it. "My pain is real. Your pain is real. We have to advocate for ourselves. We have to speak up. And you know what? I'm worried this video is annoying, but I don't care, because I hope that it helps one woman go and find out why she's in so much pain," the actress said in a vulnerable Instagram post.
Chrissy Teigen
In 2021, the model famously shared scars from her endometriosis surgery shortly before Valentine's Day. "I thought I would be... I usually am really good after. This one's a toughie," she said in an Instagram story at the time.
Monica
The Boy Is Mine singer first opened up about her diagnosis in 2017 after having an eight hour surgery, so that other women would know they weren't alone. "My reason for sharing is because we, as women, are built to be warriors and we will ignore something that seems so simple that can be so complex," she told People.
Rebel Wilson
Before becoming a mother via surrogate, Wilson revealed that she had no viable embryos due to the condition. "So I'd lost a huge amount of weight and been through 3 surgeries at that point and no viable embryos, it was devastating," she said in an interview with People. "I knew that my desire to become a mother was so strong, that I needed to keep trying."
