Riverdale stars accuse Cosmopolitan Philippines of photoshopping their waists

‘It’s sad that you felt our bodies needed to be slimmed-down’

(Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

Riverdale’s leading ladies Lili Reinhart and Camila Mendes have called out Cosmopolitan Philippines, claiming that the magazine photoshopped their waists to appear slimmer than they actually are.

The two US actresses, who star together in the US teen drama, were photographed for the American edition of the magazine in an issue that originally came out in January, however, both were left reeling when they saw how the Philippines edition had allegedly edited their bodies in what appeared to be a syndicated issue, which featured Mendes on the cover and Reinhart inside.

Disputing the edits, both Reinhart and Mendes published a series of posts on their Instagram stories on Thursday to voice their disappointment at how their bodies appeared to have been digitally-distorted to look slimmer.

(Instagram @camilamendes (Instagram @camilamendes)

Reinhart begins her post by acknowledging International Women’s Day, explaining that while progress has been made in terms of equal rights, “we still have a long way to go,” using the photoshop incident as an example.

“Camila and I have worked incredibly hard to feel confident and comfortable in the bodies that we have,” she writes.

“It’s an everyday battle sometimes. And to see our bodies become so distorted in an editing process if a perfect example of the obstacles we have yet to overcome.

“So we cannot stop fighting. Our battle has just begun”.

(Instagram @lilireinhart (Instagram @lilireinhart)

Reinhart proceeded to tag @cosmopolitan_philippines, calling the magazine out directly:

”It’s sad that you felt our bodies needed to be slimmed-down. But Camila and I are f***ing beautiful. As is. And you can’t ‘fix us’”.

After thanking Cosmopolitan US for keeping their waists “as they are”, the 21-year-old actress urged celebrities to follow her example by asking magazines to stop photoshopping their images and promoting unrealistic body ideals.

The Instagram posts made by Cosmopolitan Philippines featuring the offending images appear to have since been taken down.

Mendes added in a subsequent Instagram story that she and Reinhart felt “disrespected and disturbed” by the alleged alterations made to their bodies.

“We want their readers to know that those bodies are not ours; they have been distorted from their natural beauty. We prefer to see our bodies the way they actually are.

“I’m not interested in having a slimmer waist. I’m more than satisfied with the one that I already have.”

The 23-year-old actress has opened up about her struggles with body image before, revealing in a candid Instagram post in February that she had an “obsession with being thin” and dieting that led her hobbies and interests to fall to the wayside.

(Instragram @lilireinhart (Instragram @lilireinhart)

She also works with Project Heal, a nonprofit organisation that helps people struggling with eating disorders, something Mendes has also had experience with.

“I’m sick of the toxic narrative that the media consistently feeds us: that being thin is the ideal body type,” she wrote.

“A healthy body is the ideal body type, and that will look different for every person.”

The Independent has reached out to Cosmopolitan Philippines for comment.