Ariel Winter won’t "second-guess herself" because of her critics.
The 19-year-old actress has been widely disparaged for her flesh-baring posts on Instagram – but Ariel’s ‘Modern Family’ co-star Nolan Gould – who plays Luke Dunphy on the ABC sitcom – has insisted the opinions of people on social media won’t bother her.
He said: "People always come up to me and they’re like, ‘Does Ariel come to you for advice or does she come seek solace?’
"She doesn’t need me … She knows exactly who she is, and she’s very passionate about this. I don’t think there’s anything anybody could say that would make her second-guess herself in that way."
Another ‘Modern Family’ actor, Rico Rodriguez, has also heaped praise on Ariel and promised to support her in whatever she does.
He told Us Weekly: "Ariel is such a strong woman. Anything she does, she puts her mind to it. She’ll do the best that she can … We’re there for her regardless of anything."
Ariel, for her part, has repeatedly defended herself in the face of widespread criticism about her attire and her polarising posts on Instagram.
She recently said that, contrary to popular belief, she is not trying to draw attention to herself with her revealing outfits and is instead simply living her own life.
In a post on the photo-sharing website, she wrote: "Something I wish people would realize…I am not TRYING to be featured on Snapchat, I am not trying to be pap’d everywhere I do, I am literally just LIVING and unfortunately, I can’t do that without paparazzi following me around everyday.
"I’m not trying to show you my ass in shorts when I go to the grocery store. I’m trying to live my life. People wear shorts. People have wardrobe malfunctions. No one is perfect. (sic)"