'Riverdale’ Star Lili Reinhart Shuts Down Pregnancy Rumors, Body Shamers
Riverdale star Lili Reinhart is hitting back at cruel online commenters. The actress confirms she's not pregnant and blames a bad angle for the confusion.
An Unfortunate Situation
Over the weekend, photos surfaced of Reinhart with boyfriend Cole Sprouse, hanging out with other young Hollywood stars including Zoey Deutch.
The pic ignited a raft of rumors about Reinhart's supposed pregnancy, given the appearance of her stomach in the shot.
Fans were quick to jump to conclusions that she was expecting Sprouse's child. Reinhart plays Betty on the hit show, alongside Sprouse'ss Jughead, and their coupling as "Bughead" is the source of much fan adoration.
Rather than ignoring the circulating stories, Reinhart took to social media to set the record straight.
"It's unfortunate that one unflattering photo of my stomach circulating the internet causes hundreds of people to think that I'm pregnant. Nope. Not pregnant," she wrote on Instagram.
Time To Practice Some Self Love
The 21-year-old actress also took the opportunity to note that, sometimes, she gets a little bloated, or gains weight, or an unflattering photo is taken, and that this shouldn't be a cause for concern.
Reinhart refuses to be shamed for her body because she feels that there are more important things to focus on in life.
"My body is something that I will NEVER apologize for. My body will constantly go through change. And so will yours. And that's fine. So let's not put so much time and effort into caring about a stranger's figure," she wrote.
Riverdale's other female lead Camila Mendes, who plays Betty's best friend, Veronica, on the hit show, then waded in Monday night with her own take on the body shamers.
Mendes posted an Instagram Story in praise of her friend and colleague, noting that she, too, deals with weight fluctuations and bloating as a result of simply being a woman.
Setting A Good Example
Mendes acknowledged that seeing her friend respond to public criticism so well has inspired her to keep pushing forward and that she hopes they can continue to inspire women to love their bodies.
Reinhart is not shy about sharing her beauty struggles, having admitted earlier this month that she suffers from cystic acne. The actress opened up about feeling ugly when she gets breakouts, but she knows the condition doesn't define who she is as a person.
Both she and Mendes frequently share body positivity messages on social media, encouraging fans and followers to be healthier with eating habits, their weight, and self-love in general.
Back in February, Mendes used the hashtag #donewithdieting to share stories about the unhealthy side of so-called healthy eating.
