Lili Reinhart and Camila Mendes both aired their grievances about Cosmo Philippines photoshopping them on their covers via Instagram on Thursday, which also happened to be International Women’s Day. The publication digitally altered the original Cosmo US shots, which were stunning as is BTW, narrowing the lovely ladies waistlines.
The Riverdale starlets had some *thoughts* about the alterations, and they rightfully weren’t shy about sharing. They were both PO’d that a campaign originally celebrating the two women exactly how they were, no body changes necessary, was altered in the Philippines version.
Lili went on Instagram to discuss how negative this kind of digital editing is for not only her and Camila, but all the young women who look up to them and admire the covers.
She started by pointing out that it was International Women’s Day and celebrating the strides women have made in empowering themselves and their bodies, but she cited this Cosmo fiasco as an example of the work still to be done. “Over the last year, we’ve seen an unprecedented movement for women’s rights, and one thing is clear: our time is now. We are phenomenal, and we will make the world a better place for all women,” she wrote. “But we still have a long way to go.”
Camila also chimed in, directing followers to Lili’s story for the full deets and discourse, but also making it clear she felt “disrespected and disturbed” by the changes made to her body without her knowledge and against her wishes.
International Women’s Day was a nice reminder of the power and support women receive from each other, but Lili and Camila rightfully pointed out that it’s still not enough. It’s sad that even when the U.S. Cosmopolitan published unaltered images, which is a big win given the prominence of Cosmo in the industry and the wide audience of women it reaches, another publication can still edit things and alter reality.
The original images were obviously incredible, and both women were clearly proud of them, posting them to Instagram with elated captions.
What’s important is that the subjects of the photos don’t condone the behavior, something more celebrities should take note of. In the age of FaceTune and self-editing, many celebrities (who also preach about feminism and women’s empowerment) have been caught doing their fair share of touching up. Lili calling upon these women is important too, because it shows that there’s also still work to be done within the community of women themselves.
Round of applause to Lili and Camila for speaking up!