If the CW hit TV show Riverdale rings a bell, then you’ve probably heard of 24-year-old Lili Reinhart. The actress, who stars as Betty Cooper, landed the role at the age of 19, and instantaneously was thrust into the limelight. Reinhart was quoted as saying, “I don’t act to be famous,” but nevertheless, her reputation has grown substantially since she first hit the screen.
For Lili Reinhart, her rise to fame brought with it the ability to talk about important issues publicly and in doing so, make a difference. [emaillocker id=4438]
At age 14, Reinhart was diagnosed with depression, and continues, even in her adulthood, to battle both anxiety and depression. On her social media and in interviews, she openly discusses her struggles with mental health and lets people know that they are not alone. On Instagram, a place where she candidly speaks about her own struggles, she has 28.8 million followers, many of whom she has impacted positively with her openness.
According to the actress, fans have approached her to thank her for sharing her battles publicly. Some even let her know that she’s the reason they’ve sought help for their own mental health struggles.
Others have not responded as positively to the very public discussion of matters so personal. In response to the negativity, Reinhart said, “I’m going to talk about mental health and my own experience with depression whether I have your permission or not.” Though she doesn’t call herself an activist, per se, she has no qualms about speaking what’s on her mind and heart.
Her commitment to authenticity shines through with how she presents herself. In addition to her struggles with anxiety and depression, Reinhart also grapples with body dysmorphia, a body image disorder that involves an obsessive focus on perceived flaws in appearance. In a world of airbrushed perfection, the actress, who experiences cystic acne, acknowledges that her red carpet looks and professionally shot photos don’t always show what’s really there.
Reinhart is open about how working on herself, by reading self-help books and going to therapy has helped her grow as a person. Back in March, she tweeted, “At the end of the day, no matter where you are一 how many vacations you go on一 who you’re sleeping with一 whatever you’re using to fill a void一 you can’t outrun your demons. Face your s***. Work on yourself. Lean into your pain. THAT is how you heal and grow. No way around it.”
In 2018, the relatable star posted a photo on her Instagram story that featured her face dotted in blemish cream. The caption read, “Tinder Profile: Hi I’m Lili. I’m 21, a Virgo, Cali-girl and I have cystic acne. Hmu.” Her refreshing truthfulness shows people that perfection is simply a myth and encourages others to be open and honest with themselves.
In June of 2020, Lili Reinhart came out publically as bisexual. Although she knew she was bi from a young age, she decided to share her sexuality to show solidarity before attending an LGBTQ+ Black Lives Matter protest. For a while, she didn’t share her sexuality publicly in fear that people would think it was done for attention, but understanding her privilege on a public platform could be used to do good, she felt as though it was the right thing to do.
Reinhart, a white woman, recognizes that she has a long way to go to fully understand society’s problems, especially when it comes to race. However, over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, she’s taken time to educate herself and reached out to people to point her in the right direction. With her large Instagram following, Reinhart, on a number of occasions, had people with a greater wealth of knowledge on racial injustice broadcast live from her social media account so their voices could be heard.
In addition to fighting for racial justice during the pandemic, the young actress also dedicated her time to publish a book of poetry. In September of 2020, she released the collection, entitled Swimming Lessons: Poems, which includes poetry from the past five years. Some of her work is based on her own experiences and others parts based on fiction.
Reinhart, who fell in love with poetry while she was in high school, notes that poetry has always come easy to her and in publishing her work, it will enable people to see her as not only a performer but a poet.
To support Lili in her poetry endeavors, you can pick up her poetry book at local bookstores like Alexander Book Company, and Books Inc. or order online with Amazon Smile.
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Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @lilireinhart.