Lili Reinhart calls out ‘toxic’ summer body trends with self-love message

‘Your body is ready for summer no matter what it looks like,’ Riverdale actor says

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As warm weather draws near, Riverdale star Lili Reinhart is reminding herself and others that they don’t need a so-called “summer body” to feel confident in their own skin.

On Wednesday 22 March, the 25-year-old actress tweeted a message of self-love to her fans. “Reminder to myself, and to all— you don’t need a flat or perfectly toned stomach to wear a crop top,” she wrote. “These ‘summer body’ trends are toxic. Your body is ready for summer no matter what it looks like. Don’t let it stop you from enjoying anything”.

Summer bodies, or “beach body” trends, refers to when people gear up for summer and swimsuits by working out and toning their bodies, after months spent inside from the cold. As the body positivity movement grows in popularity, the trend has been called out for promoting unrealistic standards of beauty and an unhealthy diet culture — rather, every body is a summer body.

Reinhart’s message resonated with fans, who praised the Hustlers actress for her sincere post.

“Needed this,” replied one person.

“That’s been my attitude for years now. Thank you for confirming,” said another. “Live your life!”

The Ohio-native has opened up about her mental health and struggles with self-image in the past. In an interview with Refinery29, Reinhart revealed that her depression became so bad during lockdown that she felt like she was in a “black tunnel [that] was never going to end.”

Reinhart also revealed that she felt “really insecure” about filming a Riverdale scene in her bra and underwear.

The actress, who plays Betty Cooper on the CW series, told the Los Angeles Times: “I don’t have the CW girl body - tiny waist, nice-shaped legs, skinny, small, tiny. I had to do a bra and underwear scene in this last season and I felt really insecure about it.”

In 2020, after a fan criticised the show’s star for promoting unrealistic body ideals on Twitter, Reinhart responded that she has even felt “intimidated by the physique of my surrounding cast mates”.

“I’ve felt very insecure due to the expectation that people have for women on TV, what they should look like,” she wrote. Reinhart said she has “come to terms” with her body, adding that she has “bigger boobs, I have cellulite on my thighs/butt, and my stomach sticks out rather than curves in.”

“I want other young women to see my body on TV and feel comfort in the fact that I’m not a size 0,” she said. “And I’m not a perfect hourglass shape.”