Lili Reinhart, along with her Riverdale castmate Camila Mendes, has spent considerable time speaking out about body positivity and the struggles of body dysmorphia. It’s an issue that plagues many of us, myself included, as women’s bodies have so often been commodified, the “ideal” body has changed, morphed, and eaten its tail at rapid rates. From “heroin chic” to the perfect hourglass figure, to curves only attained through either plastic surgery or the type of time and money most of us don’t possess, there’s no achieving the perfect anything. Big breasts are being embraced now by Gen Z, so that’s a plus at least?

In a recent post, Reinhart shared her continuing struggles with body dysmorphia, specifically her arms, in an attempt to relate to others who may be struggling with similar issues. She writes:

“I truly wonder how anyone survives or gets through life without having severe BD.”

Same. I often look with envy at women whom I perceive as confident. In her post, Reinhart mentions wishing we saw more “average-sized” arms in media, writing that her body dysmorphia has been making her wonder if her arms should be half their size because of how she perceives others in the media.

It’s a relatable message that hopefully will help highlight the severe lack of body inclusivity that continues to permeate the media. No matter the push for body positivity, it’s only ever felt like a marketing brand, a way to announce inclusivity without actually putting in the work. I’m what TikTok would call a “mid-sized” woman — which I think seems to be anywhere from a size 10 to a size 14 — and even though I’m not considered plus size, I very rarely see women who have my body shape in media. At the most, it seems like we still cap out at a size 6, and then those actresses deal with body shaming too.

And this is just from an onlooker into Hollywood; I can’t imagine what someone like Reinhart with her following and status must endure. In a recent video for Vogue, singer Ariana Grande grew emotional when talking about beauty, starting to cry about how she used to use beauty as a means of hiding, rather than self-expression. It’s striking because while no one is impervious to beauty standards and the hardships women face in media, it’s also revealing when those with everything are still shown to be struggling.

Reinhart’s message is critical, even though no change will come from it. She’s been outspoken about struggling with mental health in the past, and she continues to express a commendable level of vulnerability to an enormous following. At the very least she’s shining a light on what many of us know and what many younger women need to hear. The healing process can be long, and the fact that she’s so willing to put herself out there and be frank in her writing about dealing with body dysmorphia will mean a lot to many.