Getty/Twitter
"Riverdale" star Lili Reinhart wants more people to respect her "body dysmorphia."
The 21-year-old CW actress revealed earlier this week that online trolls were telling her to "shut up" about her insecurities, and explained why those types of comments are "destructive."
Getty
'Riverdale' Star Lili Reinhart Spills on 'Dehumanizing' Fan Encounter and Weird DMs
View Story"Feeling really disheartened by the fact that so many people are saying 'you're skinny so shut up about embracing your body,'" she wrote on Twitter Tuesday. "As if my body dysmorphia is irrelevant because of how I look to some people. I'm either not curvy enough or not skinny enough to feel insecure."
"Mental illness gets worse when people say that you don't have a right to feel the way you do," she continued in another tweet. "That's where we are failing. Do not encourage this behavior. It is destructive. More destructive than you'll ever realize. You may not understand someone's insecurity -- but respect it."
Feeling really disheartened by the fact that so many people are saying “you're skinny so shut up about embrscing your body.” As if my body dysmorphia is irrelevant because of how I look to some people. I'm either not curvy enough or not skinny enough to feel insecure.
@lilireinhart
Mental illness gets worse when people say that you don't have a right to feel the way you do. That's where we are dailing. Do not encourage this behavior. It is destructive. More destructive than you'll ever realize. You may not understand someone's insecurity- but respect it.
@lilireinhart
The actress has been very vocal about her struggles with anxiety, depression, body shaming and body dysmorphia. The issues are frequent topics on her social media feeds, where she preaches about body positivity. She broached the subject again earlier this week in a Harpers Bazaar interview, which noted her body image issues started when she was just 16.
"I'm not that flawless image person. I could never live up to that. I'm not going to make people think I'm this airbrushed version of myself," she said. "There are lots of versions of me. My hair looks like shit most of the time. It looks great when I'm on a carpet, sure, but that's not the only side I want people to see of myself."
Reinhart, who struggles with low self esteem, also called out Instagram users' apparent obsession with perfect bodies.
"The most-followed people on Instagram are skinny people who have abs, long legs, silky hair and filled-in eyebrows. But then people really love when I say, 'It's OK to not have a 24-inch waist and it's OK to have pimples,'" she said. "But those same people are praising the people with images of flawless everything. Which side are you on?"
The same day that interview was published, she tore into trolls in another passionate response to offensive comments.
Telling someone they don't deserve to feel insecure because their body is “fine” or “just like” whomever.. is wrong. That's part of the problem. That's part of body shaming.
@lilireinhart
I will never understand how someone can be so cowardly as to hide behind their phone and tell a stranger that their feelings are irrelevant and considered “whining,” just because they think you represent some ideal figure or shape.
@lilireinhart
I hope this example helps show you a significant problem that's going on today with young boys and girls. This is why people with mental health issues- depression, eating disorders, body dismirphia— sometimes don't get the help they need because they're shamed into being quiet.
@lilireinhart
Getty
