The actress also revealed she gained weight due to depression during filming
Lili Reinhart is getting real about her body image struggles after a fan called out the 23-year-old actress over why she and her Riverdale co-stars have "perfectly chiseled bodies" in a since-deleted tweet. "Don't you think TV shows like this aimed at teenagers are contributing to unrealistic body expectations [and] body image issues?" they added.
In response, Reinhart opened up in an honest Twitter thread. "Actually, not everyone on this show is perfectly chiseled," she wrote.
"Even I feel intimidated by the physique of my surrounding cast mates sometimes when I have to do bra/underwear scenes," the actress continued. "I’ve felt very insecure due to the expectation that people have for women on tv, what they should look like."
Despite her insecurities, Reinhart wrote that she has "come to terms with my body and that I’m not the kind of person you would see walking on a runway during fashion week."
"I have bigger boobs, I have cellulite on my thighs/butt, and my stomach sticks out rather than curves in," she continued. "This is still something I struggle with on a daily basis. And it doesn’t help when I’m being compared to other women."
The actress continued her thread by revealing that she's "gained weight due to depression the last two months and I’ve felt very insecure about it."
Through it all, Reinhart strives to be a positive example for her viewers. "I want other young women to see my body on tv and feel comfort in the fact that I’m not a size 0. And I’m not a perfect hourglass shape," she continued. "This industry struggles with accurate representation of female and male bodies. So I commend the women who have helped our industry take a step in the right ~and authentic~ direction. (Charli Howard being my favorite role model)"
In the midst of her weight gain, Reinhart revealed that she had to do a "bra and underwear scene" on the show, something she got through because she "felt it was my obligation to be strong and show confidence in myself, looking as I do."
In an interview with Glamour UK last November, Reinhart opened up about her battle with body dysmorphia.
"Even today, I see myself in the mirror and think, this doesn't look the way the world tells me it should," she told the magazine. "I don't have a cinched, minuscule waist. I do have curves, I have cellulite, my arms aren't stick thin. This is my body and we’re told that it should fit certain proportions."
"There's such a disgusting problem right now with people photoshopping their bodies," Reinhart continued. "Obviously, there's a reason why people do it, they're insecure, they feel like they're not good enough, and that's incredibly sad."
As for why she is so open about her body image and mental health struggles, back in 2018 Reinhart told ET's Leanne Aguilera that she's makes a point to do so because she's "not putting on a show."
"I'm not trying to look perfect... my life in general is not extremely glamorous," she said. "I do a lot of really cool and glamorous things, but that's not my day to day. So I like to show off myself as being in my natural habitat, which is pretty much just in my bed, eating."
In the same interview Reinhart's Riverdale co-star, Mädchen Amick, praised her onscreen daughter for her honesty and sincerity.
"She's very comfortable in her own skin, especially being thrown into fame so quickly and intensely. She just stands on her truth and is very comfortable in speaking her truth, even if it goes against like whatever the norm is.," Amick said. "Just talking about body consciousness or mental health awareness or just being real. Like using her social media to be an average girl that happens to be an actress, and I think that's great for young viewers that look up to her."
Watch the video below for more on Reinhart.
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