Lili Reinhart Addresses “Riverdale” Fan Poll About Her Body

"Reconsider the next time you feel the need to comment on another woman’s weight or figure."

December 21, 2017

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Riverdale's Lili Reinhart is not afraid to speak up when something upsets her, and a new Tumblr post is no exception.

On Sunday, December 17, the actress expressed her disappointment with a viral Internet poll that compared Betty Cooper's body to model Taylor Hill, who was photographed wearing similar lingerie.

The photo in question comes from the episode in which Lili's character Betty performs the Serpent dance. She explained in her Tumblr post that the photo comparing Betty to the model has appeared on her Instagram feed for "two weeks," and that "it's been pretty hard to avoid." Lili expressed how "it's disappointing" to see the photo being posted by fans of the show who normally post support of the show's "amazing female friendships on the show, girl power, Veronica’s inspiring feminism, body positivity, etc" and called it "the most hypocritical sh*t I’ve ever seen."

"This is a poll. A competition. A comparison of two bodies. It’s a feeding ground for comments of judgement and negativity — 'Betty is fat' 'that’s not flattering' 'the model looks way better."
It is a perfect way to fuel this delusional idea that it’s still okay to put women on a pedestal and compare them.
I’ve asked myself so many times… how do we actually learn to love our bodies? How do we as a society, openly and privately, accept that all bodies are truly beautiful and there shouldn’t be a specific body type that is considered “the best” or the most beautiful?
It’s so easy to say 'embrace your curves' 'everyone is beautiful!' — but to actually put that into practice is the hard part. It’s easy to convince others that we think this way, but it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t actually believe that."

In the post, Lili fights back against the idea that there's a perfect body and notes that "I do not have that model’s body. I’m fully aware of this. I don’t have a thigh gap.. a 24 inch waist.. toned arms or abs. I am not her. And how dare anyone assume that I should look like her." She notes that by commenting on the photo and participating in the poll, fans are "comparing themselves to the model as well," and says "It’s so easy to point out someone else’s 'flaws,' isn’t it? Because it makes us feel better about ourselves and about our own insecurities."

The note closes with a powerful message from Lili to those "who proclaim to be feminists" but then interact in a poll like that "represents the exact opposite." "To them I say: You are the problem, don’t you get it? You are promoting the idea that this model is what all women should look like and that it’s not okay to look like anything else." Her final message is a hope for others to "reconsider the next time you feel the need to comment on another woman’s weight or figure."

This isn't the first time that the Riverdale actress has had to address comments about her appearance. She previously defended her eyebrows and opened up about her struggle with a form of body dysmorphic disorder.

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