Camila Mendes Opens Up About Learning To Love Her “Fertile, Renaissance" Body

In honor of National Eating Disorder Awareness week, Camila Mendes shared a heartfelt post about learning to love her body on Instagram.

“About a year ago, I decided to stop dieting and chasing this idea of a body that I was conditioned to believe is the only acceptable shape,” Mendes wrote. “I was never concerned with weight and numbers, but I cared a lot about having a flat tummy, no cellulite, and those ‘give that girl a sandwich’ arms that make you look slender from every angle.”

Mendes went on to explain that she later learned to stop obsessing over the “little details” of what she ate and instead more on if she was drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, and eating enough veggies. In other words, “trusting that I care enough about my well-being to make healthy choices more often than not.”

This isn’t the first time the Riverdale star has spoken out about her struggles with an eating disorder, specifically bulimia, which she battled with in high school and college.

"I was so scared of carbs that I wouldn't let myself eat bread or rice ever. I’d go a week without eating them, then I would binge on them, and that would make me want to purge," Mendes told Shape in 2018.

Mendes eventually started seeing a therapist and nutritionist, and is incredibly open about her journey to body acceptance on social media. In her latest post, she urged followers to give themselves the freedom to make “bad” choices, noting how much “healthier and happier” she has been since following this advice herself.

“Whenever I struggle, I always come back to this: why should I care to look like a runway model when my curves got me lookin’ like a damn fertile, renaissance goddess,” Mendes wrote. “Find the beauty in your body. I promise you it’s there.”