Lili Reinhart Opens Up About 'Severe' Body Image Struggles

On Thursday, the actress posted a series of messages to her Instagram Stories in which she got "vulnerable" with her followers about recently experiencing "obsessive thoughts" about her body and weight.

"I've been struggling with obsessive thoughts about my body/weight the last few months and it's gotten pretty severe in the last week," began Reinhart, 25. "So I want to take a moment to be vulnerable and share this in the hope that any of you who are also struggling don't feel so alone."

"I'm here with you," she continued. "It's challenging to look at your body with love instead of criticism. It's a practice I'm still learning."

The "Riverdale" star went on to say that she "didn't think being in this industry, that is so obsessed with women's bodies and weights, could ever mess with my own body acceptance and positivity.. but it has." She added, "I wish I hadn't grown up in a time where the media worshipped only one size of women."

Reinhart admitted that she wishes she "could love [her body] more," and noted that she's "trying" to do so.

"My body has carried me through 25 years of life," she wrote. "All my scars, tears, trauma... I wish I could love it more, even it doesn't look like it did when I was 20. But I'm trying. I know my body deserves equal love and admiration at any size."

"To not feel at home in my own skin is a devastating feeling," she added. "As if my body has betrayed my changing."

The "Hustlers" actress shared that she's "looked in the mirror and pulled my skin back to see what I *should* look like. What I'm expected to look like.. in an industry where you're -inconvenient- when not a sample size."

"It's painful to think hundreds of millions of us are so concerned with what our bodies look like. That's an incredibly broken system," she explained, adding, "Somewhere along the line, humanity really f---ed this one up."

Reinhart concluded by noting that she's aware that's she's "not alone in this toxic way of thinking about my body."

"It's heartbreaking that this feeling is understood by so many of us," she wrote. "Let's continue to talk about it. Normalize it. Empathize with others. Show compassion and kindness."

The "Chemical Hearts" actress has been open in the past about her struggles with body dysmorphia as well as anxiety and depression.

Speaking about her battle with depression last Spring, Reinhart revealed that she sometimes feels "really defeated" by her depression, which she described as an "exhausting battle."

"Some days I feel really defeated by my depression," she shared on her Instagram Stories in May 2021, per PEOPLE. "It's an exhausting battle that I've been fighting for 11 years and some days, like today, it can feel intolerable."

"This is a reminder to my fellow warriors that it's okay to have days where you don't want to fight anymore," she added. "You don't need to justify your mental health to anyone. Prioritize yourself when needed, take time to rest. Surround yourself with good people and high vibrations."

Reinhart ended her post by telling her followers to "remember you are always worth fighting for. And tomorrow could be such a beautiful day."