Riverdale’s Camila Mendes is opening up about eating disorders and how the pressure to be thin has weighed on her throughout her life.
23-year-old Mendes took to Instagram on Friday to declare herself finished with dieting fads that she says have taken away from her overall happiness.
“I’m done believing in the idea that there’s a thinner, happier version of me on the other side of all the tireless effort,” she wrote in the post.
Mendes reveals that after speaking to a naturopath, a physician who specializes in natural, self-healing practices, about the anxiety and obsessiveness she feels surrounding food and dieting, she decided to take a hard look at the bigger issue.
“Somehow I had stripped myself of all the pastimes that brought me joy, and all that was left of me was my anxiety around food. My passion for education, cinema, music, etc.—all the interests that used to occupy my mind—had been eaten away by my desire to be thin, and it made me miserable,” she continued.
This new outlook on health and nutrition comes after Mendes shared that she had joined Project HEAL in October, an organization that provides financial assistance to those seeking treatment for eating disorders. She shared that eating disorders aren’t a foreign concept to her.
“Growing up, I watched my big sister suffer from one for many years, and I’ve experienced periods of my life when I’ve suffered symptoms as well,” she wrote.
Project HEAL was founded in 2008 by Liana Rosenman and Kristina Saffran, who met during treatment for their own anorexia. Understanding that not many insurance policies provide coverage for eating disorders, they founded a solution. Mendes is scheduled to attend the Project HEAL gala in San Francisco on Saturday, where she will auction a day on set on Riverdale to raise funds for the organization.
The hashtag #donewithdieting has been circulating social media, with fans thanking Mendes for the support to stay confident and determined in their own battles with eating disorders and nutrition.