Lili Reinhart praised for sharing struggle to accept her arms: ‘My body dysmorphia has been going crazy’

The ‘Riverdale’ actress opened up about the need for better representation of ‘average sized arms’ in the media

Actor Lili Reinhart has been praised for opening up about her struggle to accept the size of her arms, telling other women that they “aren’t alone” if they feel the same way.

The Riverdale star, 27, shared her wish for better representation of “average-sized arms” in the media and admitted that she had wasted an “insane” amount of time thinking about her body in recent months.

“I wish there were more average-sized arms represented in mainstream media for women,” she wrote on Twitter/X. “My body dysmorphia has been going crazy because I feel like my arms need to be half the size they are currently?”

“We’ve glamorised these skinny arms that, for most of us, can only be achieved if you’re a literal adolescent,” she added.

“I truly wonder how anyone survives or gets through this life without having severe BD. Maybe it’s a cruel amplified version in combination with my OCD, but damn. The amount of time I’ve wasted thinking about my arms in the last few months is insane.”

The star said that she wanted to “throw [her] own thoughts out there” in order to help other women realise that they aren’t the only ones to feel this way.

Her candid admission was applauded by fellow social media users, with many revealing that they had experienced similar feelings of dissatisfaction about their own arms.

“Thank you so much for commenting on this,” one Twitter/X user wrote. “I feel like my arms ruin every photo/outfit.”

“Gonna cry because it’s scary how accurate you said things and I really needed to hear this thank you so much,” another added.

“Thank you so much for this,” a third chimed in. “One of my biggest insecurities is my arms and I NEVER see people talking about it, I’m so glad I’m not alone.”

One Twitter/X user said that it made them “feel better to see someone out there with arms like mine”, while another said that they had realised that they had “been so hard” on their own appearance “for no reason”.

“I love how so many women are being vulnerable and supportive in this thread but it makes me so angry to see how many of us relate to this,” another comment read. “It’s good to know you’re not alone but it’s also aggravating to think that so many magical wonderful gorgeous women are feeling this way.”

It’s not the first time that Reinhart has spoken out about her struggle to accept her body and her experiences of body dysmorphia.

In an Instagram post last year, the actor admitted that she still finds it “challenging to look at your body with love instead of criticism”, and that self-acceptance is “a practice I’m still learning”.

“I 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.”

She went on to reveal that she had previously “looked in the mirror and pulled my skin back tight to see what I *should* look like”.

“It’s painful to think hundreds of millions are concerned with what our bodies look like,” she continued. “That’s an incredibly broken system. Somewhere along the line, humanity really f***ed this one up.”

Lili Reinhart (Getty Images)

Last year, Reinhart also called out Kim Kardashian after the reality star revealed that she had lost 16 pounds ahead of the 2022 Met Gala in order to fit into a dress once worn by legendary actress Marilyn Monroe.

She described Kardashian’s admission as “so wrong” and “so f**ked on hundreds of levels” as “millions of young women and women are looking up to you and listening to your every word”.

Later explaining her decision to criticise the Skims founder, Reinhart said that she was motivated to call out “toxic behaviour” in the entertainment industry.

“I do not say the things that I say because I want to be relevant or get attention,” she wrote on Twitter. “I speak up because I don’t see enough people with large platforms calling out toxic behaviour in our industry. Some people will never understand where I’m coming from and that’s okay.”

For anyone struggling with the issues raised in this piece, eating disorder charity Beat’s helpline is available 365 days a year on 0808 801 0677. You can visit their website here. NCFED offers information, resources and counselling for those suffering from eating disorders, as well as their support networks. They can be reached by phone on 845 838 2040 or their website here.