It's official: Hot girls sleep with soft toys.

Oh, you sleep with a soft toy?

No judgement, friend. Because it turns out, everybody else is doing it too.

In fact, you're right there alongside the likes of Margot Robbie, Lady Gaga and Molly-Mae, who all unashamedly snuggle their soft toys as a form of self-care.

Molly-Mae introduced the world to her beloved sleep companion, Ellie Belly, when she entered the Love Island house in 2019 with the plush elephant in tow. Since then, numerous videos of Molly-Mae and Ellie have since surfaced across TikTok, including one where she shared that she couldn't bear the thought of leaving the plush elephant alone while she was on a photoshoot.

"Ellie Belly came [on the shoot] cause I didn't want to leave him alone in the hotel room by himself, I felt bad," she said of the pair's shoot day.

@prettylittlething

Of course Ellie-Belly came along to Molly Mae’s edit shoot 💕✨ #elliebelly #mollymae #pltxmollymae

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Meanwhile, in an Instagram post with more than three million likes, Lady Gaga showed off her collection of Squishmallows, referring to them as her "real friends", saying: "I you friends, all your colours and your uniqueness — your kindness, your curiosity and endless love."

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However, it was Margot Robbie who led the plushy revolution when she confessed to W Magazine: "I still sleep with my bunny… much to my husband's dismay."

Watch: Rabbits are special to Margot Robbie and Rose Byrne. Post continues below.

It turns out that around 40 percent of adults admit to sleeping with a stuffed toy, even when they have a partner or children. In a video with half a million likes, TikTok user Emma asks: "So like what do I [do] with my childhood stuffed animal when I get married? Bc I'm not sleeping without it."

In amongst the more than 2,000 comments, other users revealed that they have continued to sleep with their favourite plush toy alongside their partner each night.

"When I met my bf I was afraid of what he'd think of my childhood teddy, until he lifted it up and went, 'Who's this? Hello you!' — immediate green flag," shared one user.

When TikTokker Isabela declared in a video with her teddy that, "Hot girls sleep with stuffed animals," it received close to a million likes — and she, too, was inundated with comments from others who do the same.

"I have a teddy that's been with me through most of my major life events and the most recent one he was at was the birth of my daughter," commented one

Another of the almost 8,000 commenters wrote, "I don't tell people I sleep with stuffed animals 'cause people always told me it was childish, I'm so glad to see this video."

While there may be a lingering stigma surrounding the idea of sleeping with a soft toy as an adult — something Margot Robbie jokingly acknowledged on the Late Late Show With James Cordon, saying, "Please no one psychoanalyse the fact that I'm 30 and I sleep with a bunny rabbit every night!" — it's actually perfectly normal. And, according to experts, can even be beneficial.

As registered psychologist Lorraine Aldridge, of Turning Point Psychology, explains via her blog, "Many studies have shown that a comfort object like a teddy bear increases emotional wellbeing, coping skills, resilience, self-esteem and sleep because the object triggers self-soothing behaviour."

Psychological theories developed in 1940s and '50s explain that comfort or 'attachment objects', like cuddly toys, serve a transitional purpose in early childhood. Having a special blanket or toy to cuddle can support children as they develop emotional independence from their caregivers.

But when it comes to adults including in a snuggle with a soft toy? Well, it turns out the mere touch of a comforting object, such a teddy bear — even if it's not one you're personally attached to — can soothe existential fears.

That's exactly why Aldrige has a teddy named Huggles in her consulting room, to support the adult clients she works with. "During counselling sessions, clients who need a moment to collect their thoughts pick up Huggles," she explained. "At that moment, Huggles acts as a circuit breaker, giving instant relief from emotional discomfort.

"Huggles has proven his worth tenfold as my practice's 'go-to' comfort bear," she said.

And more and more adults are realising how comforting soft toys can be. TIME reported that toy sales for ages 12 and up have nearly doubled since 2017, with 'kidults' accounting for 24 percent of toy sales and around two-thirds of revenue growth within the toy market.

The uber-huggable Squishmallows saw a 300 percent increase in sales in 2022 alone, which market researchers attribute to the combined power of social media as well as an increased interest in wellness in a post-pandemic world.

In this wild world, it seems soft toys might just be quiet self-care achievers we need. So, whether it's your childhood bunny, or a trending toy, snuggle up!

Feature Image: Instagram @ladygaga and Tiktok @prettylittlething