Betty Cooper faced down the Black Hood in the final moments of Riverdale's second season. Now the woman who plays her, Lili Reinhart, is fighting back against another insidious enemy: Body-shaming rumors.
A recent photo of Reinhart circulated the internet this week, prompting some fans to suggest that the CW star was pregnant with her Met Gala date Cole Sprouse's baby. Instead of brushing off the hurtful (and truly ridiculous) comments, the gossip empowered Reinhart to clap back in the name of self-love. She took to her Instagram story and wrote over several slides:
"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. This is just my body. And sometimes I’m bloated. Sometimes an unflattering photo is taken of me. Sometimes I go through periods of time where I gain weight."
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She added:
"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."
In true B & V fashion, Camila Mendes shared her support for her co-star on her own Instagram story. She wrote:
"Inspired by you @lilireinhart. I feel bloated 24/7, my weight fluctuates constantly — it comes with being a woman and should be celebrated, not criticized."
This isn't the first time that the Miss Stevens star used social media to challenge the rumors around her. In October of 2017, Reinhart took to Tumblr to shut down comments about her dating life.
"It’s horrifying how invested some people are in my love life. Emphasis on 'my.' It is mine. It is private. If a stranger’s love life is causing you anger, frustration or anxiety…please reevaluate your priorities," Reinhart wrote on the blog. "I also want to point out that there is a difference between shipping Betty and other characters, and shipping me with literally everyone I make eye contact with. There are so many other things to focus your attention and energy on."
Whether Reinhart is having a baby (spoiler alert, she's not) is something not worth your time or attention, either. Especially when it comes from nitpicking at Reinhart's red carpet photos. Instead, let's speculate about what season 3 of Riverdale has in store for Ms. Cooper, shall we?