Hilary Duff looks so good in a bikini that she was chosen for the cover of Us Weekly‘s first annual swimsuit issue.

We agree with the celebrity news publication’s call wholeheartedly, as Hilary Duff is a great example of what is actually right with Hollywood.

But success hasn’t come easily for Duff. When the singer and actress was 15, Hilary came across a press report criticizing her for her weight.

“It made me obsessed,” she admits regarding the story that drove her into a hard-core diet and exercise binge.

“I would beat myself up if I had some fat.”

Heck, Duff already has crazy people threatening to kill her. Now she’s going to beat herself up? Not cool at all. But fortunately, she had help realizing this.

When the 5-foot-2 star’s weight plummeted to around 100 pounds back in 2005 (down from 130 in 2003), her older sister Haylie Duff, 22, intervened.

“She said, ‘Why are you being so strict with yourself?’It was like an awakening,” says Hilary Duff, who eased up on her rigorous program.

“I don’t want to be so skinny that people are like, Oh my god, she’s lost too much weight.”

Amen. But if you lose Brody Jenner, that’s totally okay with us.

In any case, Hilary Duff, 19, says that she’s content at 109 pounds.

“As you get older, you just get more comfortable in your own skin,” she said. “You just need to find balance.”

Or in Nicole Richie‘s case, what little skin you’ve got left.

Instead of counting fat grams or calories, Duff relies on a hearty helping of common sense: lots of greens, lean protein and fresh fruit.

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