Getting real. Lili Reinhart has been outspoken about her body image struggles since stepping foot into the spotlight. The Riverdale star has also offered inspiring messages to fans while opening up about her insecurities.
“For the past year … I’ve been quietly trying to navigate my fluctuating weight, and I’ve faced criticism in the past for talking about my body image. People told me that I didn’t have the right to talk about being self-conscious about my body because I was skinny,” the actress shared in her speech at the Glamour‘s 2018 Women of the Year Summit, noting that she’s been “exposed to young women, smaller than I was, telling me that they needed to lose weight.”
Speaking candidly about her ongoing struggles, the Chemical Hearts actress reflected on becoming “hyper-aware of my changing body.”
“I could see the difference in my shape in photos and wondered if anyone else was noticing. I felt this strange, constant struggle of having to live up to the expectation of the appearance that I had already established to the world. So, I found myself examining my body constantly in the mirror,” Lili shared. “Sometimes thinking, ‘OK, like, I was being too hard on myself. Everything’s fine. I’m still the same size. Everything is fine.’ Only go back to the mirror a few hours later … and notice that my stomach looked completely different.”
Since then, the Ohio native has made it her mission to change how people feel about themselves by “showing what’s real with no filter,” which she often does on social media. The CW star went on to say that she “started living a more active lifestyle because I wanted to feel healthy on the inside,” but that didn’t mean her insecurities went away completely.
“Some days I feel strong and confident,” Lili explained. “And sometimes I’m sucked into the rabbit hole of awful comments, where strangers are criticizing parts of myself that I wasn’t even aware of.”
Concluding her inspirational speech, the actress told listeners that it’s “unrealistic” to always be comparing your body to someone else’s.
“That’s not the way it’s supposed to be,” Lili said. “We are all imperfectly beautiful, so let’s embrace that. And practice that in a healthy way.”
Years later, in September 2020, the Plus/Minus actress got real about returning to the Riverdale set after experiencing some body changes during the coronavirus lockdown that same year.
“We stopped during the prom episode, so I have to fit back in that prom dress,” Lili told NYLON at the time. “Five months later, we’re all going to be tan, maybe a little bit thicker. I certainly am.”
Scroll through our gallery to read the actress’ honest quotes about body positivity.
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