Here's Why Jennifer Lawrence Feels Her "Most Beautiful" When She's Sweaty AF At The Gym

Am I the only one who feels like an invincible goddess when I'm beet-red and dripping with sweat after a workout? That post-workout glow (and yes, I do consider my boob sweat to be part of said glow) is no joke, even though, I'll admit, the smudged mascara under my eyes does look kind of funny. But, look, even if you can't relate, I honestly don't care, because one of my all-time favorite celebs knows exactly where I'm coming from. In a recent interview with InStyle, Jennifer Lawrence said her workout routine makes her feel beautiful, not because of anything it actually does to her body or her appearance, but because of the inner strength and power that exercise helps her harness.

J.Law sat down with the magazine to talk about her work with Dior on a new fragrance, but when the subject of fitness and wellness came up, the 28-year-old actress made sure to keep things real — after all, doesn't she always? When asked when she feels most beautiful, the Passengers actress told InStyle,

Honestly, when I’m at my most disciplined. Like, when I’m really making myself go to the gym. Which is a joke, because I definitely pay more for canceled workouts than actual ones. But when I’m there and running on the treadmill, that’s when I feel most powerful.

I'd like to take this moment to say a nice big "take that" to anybody who judges my smudgy eye makeup or sweaty sports bra at the gym. Just like J.Law said, exercise isn't always about trying to look a certain way or proving your strength to someone. For many people, exercise is an opportunity to feel powerful and in control of something — it's as simple as that.

And, yeah, like J.Law said, as great as it feels on those days when you go super hard at the gym, sometimes you skip a workout — and sometimes it's a workout you already paid for. IT HAPPENS.

That's one of the best things about Jennifer Lawrence: She always makes it a point to be candid, honest, and realistic about her views, whether she's being asked about wellness, food, her workout routine, or even about beauty standards, and what people "should" or "shouldn't" turn to, to help them feel beautiful. In her interview with InStyle, the Joy actress said,

You just have to keep it personal. If you want to feel beautiful, whether that means extending your eyelashes or bringing out your natural lip color or whatever it is, then you should. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s only a problem when you’re doing it for someone else.

Amen, woman. Beauty is subjective, and as long as you're using a new hair product or trying out a new workout class because you want to, not because someone else told you to for one reason or another, that's what beauty is all about: finding the things that make you, and only you, feel like the best version of yourself.

Of course, J.Law's never been one to beat around the bush with these things, and she certainly doesn't sugarcoat the fact that there's obvious pressure on her as a female celebrity to look a certain way. In a recent interview with Vogue, Lawrence even admitted that, sometimes, she does exercise more "because I have a certain way that I want to look, and a way that I want to fit into my clothes."

Yes, that might sound somewhat contradictory to what she told InStyle, but this is the really big point people sometimes have trouble grasping: It's J.Law's body, J.Law's workout routine, and J.Law's life, and she can do whatever she wants. If she's making these decisions because they make her happy, not someone else, and she knows she's being safe and healthy with her choices, that's all that matters at the end of the day.

Honestly, whatever you think of Lawrence's outlook on beauty and wellness, you have to hand it to her: She is never anybody but herself.