Lili Reinhart has been vocal over the years about body image and the unrealistic/unfair exceptions placed on women. She seems to truly emphasize health and feeling good over just aiming for thinness. Lili didn’t go the to Met Gala this year, but she did judge the fashion from home like the rest of us. And she was really bothered by the lengths to which Kim Kardashian went just to fit into Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday Mr. President” dress. Lili posted on her Instagram story and without naming names spoke out about Kim’s comments and the effect they could have on people.
Lili Reinhart prefers health over haute couture.
The Riverdale actress took to social media the day after the 2022 Met Gala, voicing her strong opinions about the lengths certain stars went to achieve their looks.
“To walk on a red carpet and do an interview where you say how starving you are… because you haven’t eaten carbs in the last month…all to fit in a f–king dress?” she wrote on her Instagram Story on May 3. “So wrong. So f—-d on 100s of levels.”
She continued, “To openly admit to starving yourself for the sake of the Met Gala. When you know very well that millions of young men and women are looking up to you and listening to your every word. The ignorance is other-worldly disgusting.”
Lili, 25, did not call out any celebrities by name, but her self-described “rant” comes one day after Kim Kardashian admitted to Vogue that she lost 16 pounds in just three weeks to prepare for the star-studded event.
In a profile, the SKIMS founder—who walked the red carpet on May 2 in a vintage gown once famously worn by Marilyn Monroe—said she initially couldn’t fit into the Hollywood icon’s dress and decided to slim down in order to wear it.
“It was this or nothing,” Kim told the magazine, adding that she “would wear a sauna suit twice a day, run on the treadmill, completely cut out all sugar and all carbs and just eat the cleanest veggies and protein” in order to lose weight. “I didn’t starve myself, but I was so strict.”
In her series of “rants,” Lili—who attended the Met Gala in 2018, 2019 and 2021—expressed concerns about the effects some stars are sending to impressionable fans.
“Please stop supporting these stupid, harmful celebrities whose entire image revolves around their bodies,” she wrote. “I am not generally an angry person but I swear to god, the toxicity of this industry sometimes really gets to me.”
This isn’t the first time Lili has used her social media platform to address the topic of self-image. Earlier this year, the Chemical Hearts star reiterated to fans on Twitter that everybody has a summer body.
“Reminder to myself, and to all—you don’t need a flat or perfectly toned stomach to wear a crop top,” she wrote on March 22. “These ‘summer body’ trends are toxic. Your body is ready for summer no matter what it looks like. Don’t let it stop you from enjoying anything.”
Before anyone can say it’s just sour grapes — Lili went to the Met Gala in 2019 in a really pretty dress and also posted Instagram stories complimenting her two Riverdale costars who attended this year. She even tweeted doubling down on her comments. I love that Lili shaded Kim without ever mentioning her name. But it was obviously about Kim — she’s the only one who openly talked about losing weight and cutting carbs to fit into a dress. I’m sure all celebs diet to some extent before the Met, but Kim was definitely bragging about squeezing into a dress that couldn’t be altered just to be able to say that she wore an icon’s actual dress for a few minutes (then changed into a replica). And, does it really even fit if you can’t zip it up? The bragging was a bit for naught.
I think Lili is completely right here. Kim took very extreme measures — the diet is one thing, but two-a-day runs in a sauna suit?! What even is a sauna suit? (I’m now picturing Bradley Cooper’s Silver Linings Playbook character running in the trash bag). Medical professionals have said that losing 1-2 pounds per week is a healthy way to lose weight, so 16 pounds in three weeks is more than double what’s considered healthful. And Kim is already small. I’m her height and in 2020 lost 6 pounds in one week from stress and it was not great. I can’t even imagine forcing myself to do that for three weeks. Also, it’s not like all the weight Kim lost was from diet and exercise only, so she’s promoting a harmful message and being disingenuous under the guise of candor. She doesn’t admit to all her other little nips and tucks and tweaks, so why “admit” to this other than to brag? I’m glad Lili masterfully called her out. (And I also like what Lili said in March about crop tops. I love them and always wonder if I’m too old for them, so I’m going to take her message to include age as well).
Photos credit: Avalon.red and via Instagram
I used to be the biggest fan of lili but now I just find her annoying as hell. She does have a point tho!
She does! However..
What annoys me is when people talk about others more recognizable than them to promote themselves passive aggressively. Stand on your own work. Stop having to name check others to get attention.
Yep you’re right on that one!
She isnt wrong. The whole K klan is weight obsessed and toxic.
Agreed.
I agree, especially since they shill all kinds of products but get their results from plastic surgeons.
Yes. And it isn’t just that it seems they do dangerous things with their own bodies, but they actively try to encourage others to do risky things with their bodies in order to profit. They absolutely have shilled for questionable teas, laxatives, and waist trainers. “Toxic” is absolutely the correct word.
It’s curious enough that Kim decided to do this but to boast about it to everyone is something else. I wonder if she thinks about the effect promoting that kind of thing could have on her own children in a few years, especially the daughters.
I’m here for her criticism
As someone who lives in a bigger body and who was hounded my whole life by varios health destroying diets, by people criticising my weight and offering various fast solutions, I’m so glad that someone if finally calling it out. Kim is, unfortunately, a role model for many young women. Her message was incredibly problematic and damaging.
Thank you Lili!
I wish all the stars admitted to their starvation diets and over exercising and body sculpting and Lipo and just stated outright how fake it, Hollywood, and they are. Kim admitted to this, as you said, but in a disingenuous humble brag, since everything is fake about her and a lie. So what she said about losing weight is likely a lie too. Paging Ray J…
A few things, Lilli is 100% right but also the Kardashians tend not to promote any body positivity. In the past they had that laxative tea, always in body shapers, getting dramatic surgeries that change how they look so they only barely resemble their original selves, and then photoshop out the wazoo. I hope no one looks up to them for self esteem.
Good. Though I’m sure Kim already has an apology drafted, full of inspirational quotes of how she’ll do better next time. It’s so performative and meaningless.
I doubt she’ll apologize, instead she’ll paint herself as the victim and secretly be giddy she gets another round of press about it.
how is it ‘performative and meaningless’ if it hasnt happened?
Because it happens all the time. It’s called sarcasm.
And why do you need to defend Kim?
I don’t know if I agree with the way she went about this. Kim Kardashian is not the reason for society’s issues re body image. She’s a symptom. She’s not successful in a vacuum. The plastic surgeries, the clothes, the tummy teas, the shapewear, the cosmetics, the insane wealth and excess they display on their show … they got there because people lap it up. All of these reality show people look like this now. That’s on us, at least partly. Kate Moss is not to blame personally for my hatred towards my body at 13. Kim Kardashian is who she is, this isn’t new and we need to find ways to support young kids in spite of what she and everyone else is selling. They’re not going anywhere.
At least Kim was honest and didn’t pretend to stuff her face with cupcakes. Wish she would cop to the surgeries though.
To be fair, she did seem to frame “the industry” being the biggest problem? I don’t know who she is but KK does deserve some solo criticism for being so gleeful and self-congratulatory about dangerous weight loss. Yes, the industry and society creates pressure but … no one would even have known if she hadn’t gone on and on about it.
Honestly I just wish that whole clan would go away. Is their time done yet? Although the machine will just find someone new …
Eh, I don’t agree that they are just symptoms of a societal issue. This family actively promotes laxative teas and waist trainers, etc. That’s being an active participant and exploiting a toxic culture for personal benefit. If the people who are PROMOTING and profiting from this culture aren’t at fault, who would be?
The kardashians are terrible remodels in regards to body imagine for young girls and women. It’s been this way since almost the beginning and I don’t see them changing anytime soon. They’ve now gotten even more popular and more money instead so it’s only reinforces their behavior sadly.
I just hope their children don’t fall into the same toxic cycles as their parents
Kylie’s in her mid- 20’s and looks horrible. I can just imagine the next gen of those poor kids’ at that age. All beautiful children and they’re gonna ruin themselves
Their kids will likely have all the (black woman) features the Kardashians and Kylie have ruined themselves for so maybe they won’t feel the need to do all of that
@sunyside – I’m LOLing your autocorrect from role models to remodels. Yep, remodels. Checks out. 🤣
judgemental & faux-concern much?
Kardashian fan club much?
I don’t know who is this girl, but she has a point and, unpopular opinion, I would censor this kind of interviews with celebrities promoting unhealthy and dangerous habits. Mental health worldwide is in terrible conditions nowadays, especially among young people and the last thing we need is to give these people a platform to promote more eating disorders.
KK should be called out
The “diet/exercise” story and accompanying videos were just a non-clever way to generate more hype, more free PR and of course to capture content for the new show. What’s weird is they first released the 16 lb weight loss story and a short video of her “fitting” in to the dress first THEN released the full story and video of it never fitting over her butt all the way. It’s as if she didn’t want ppl knowing that her ass was actually hanging out underneath the white fur jacket on the red carpet.
If we had known that in advance, it would have affected how ppl saw her red carpet appearance in real time.
Really it’s all just content for their new/rehashed show.
So we think every other famous woman at the Met Gala happens to be “naturally thin”? That’s not a thing! They all do it and pretend they don’t have to make an effort, which in my eyes is worse.
Lili didn’t imply that the other people (men in Hollywood also follow restrictive diets and crash diet—maybe more often than women) who attended didn’t diet to fit into their outfits. She called out Kim for bragging about it. Kim thought it was an accomplishment.
I totally agree the opposite is also harmful. Pretending that maintaining the same weight over decades is “natural”
To be fair, Kim thought it was an accomplishment because they all do. Most of them are smarter though and also know not to brag. But yeah, they all diet and excercize in ways that are not necessarily healthy. Maybe at some point we can also acknowledge that those Marvel bodies aren’t the result of just excercize.
I will NEVER forget Juliana Moore’s interview where she said in order to fit into the sizes/clothes she had to wear, she went around hungry ALL the time, that she was NEVER *NOT* hungry. Such a sad way to live in order to do the work you love.
The pics of Kim & Pete from the Met Gala instantly made me think of AHS Coven, he’s Sir Maejor guarding his witch.
Hahaahahahahaahha. This.
I’m currently in the middle of a phase where I am feeling sooooo bad about my body and my eating, it’s just something I can’t stop thinking about. So this, of course, has me intrigued. I wonder how the dress didn’t fit kim, because I have always heard that MM was bigger than what is considered today to be small? I feel like I’ve always heard that MM was like an 8 or 10 or maybe a 6 in today’s standards, which I would think would fit kim.
People were much smaller back then. I stated this elsewhere but people of Marilyn’s generation came through the Depression and nobody got the kind of nutrition that is generally held to be important now (even if not necessarily attained for various socioeconomic reasons). Also just generational differences.
Marilyn was curvier than most women – of that time. She would still be small to us. But also softer and rounder because working out wasn’t a thing for women then (even if she used small weights once in a while).
Kim has had a great deal of work done on her hips and behind to enlarge it, so that’s a main reason.
Don’t feel bad and don’t beat yourself up. Bodies are much more fluid and changeable and diverse than people think.
Replying to @C; you are so right about people being smaller in past years. Growing up, there was never sugar soda drinks, bags of chips or snack crackers in the house ever! If we were hungry between meals, grab an apple. Marketing today by the snack food industry and the lower prices for snack vs healthier food , and the inability to pay for it or access healthier choices are driving obesity imo.
Julia I absolutely agree. And don’t forget car dependency in the U.S.
VERY few Americans these days walk anywhere of distance. We often hop in our cars to do all of our errands and commute to work. In the past, people walked more and there were better transit options such as trains and street cars etc. A great irony is many Americans even drive to the gym. This is tragically what modern American urban planning has brought on. Not much is walkable.
This is why I do not blame a soul for weight struggles. In North America, there are so many complicated systems making it very hard for us.
So sorry Mandy! Can I recommend the book “Intuitive Eating” to you? It helps with those feels of negativity associated with your relationship with food. Recommended by my therapist and was life changing for me.
By Evelyn tribole? I just looked it up. I’m interested too I’m going thru some bad body issues rn with eating and everything
MM was tiny in the beginning of her career and stayed that way through much of it. She was measured frequently and her measurements were those of a model with a tiny waist, even by today’s standards. She was just shorter and curvier and at some point gained a little weight. That’s what people cling to when they say she was “bigger”. She really wasn’t. If you look at pictures of her, it’s pretty clear she was very slim, I don’t know what folks are looking at?
I’m currently a US 12 and fine with it. I would look massive next to her. I have been heavier than this and didn’t feel comfortable either, I get what you’re going through. It’s also rarely about my actual size. Hugs!
Marilyn had a 24 inch waist at one point, and her hips were something like 34-35 inches.
I have three inches on both her measurements and wear a 4. She was curvy but tiny. Clothing sizes have changed.
@Mandy..Marilyn was actually tiny & curvy. Kim’s hips & butts are bigger..she couldn’t get the dress zipped up all the way. I also think Kim is shorter than Marilyn.
Nope, clothing sizes were widely different back then. Marilyn had a 22-23 inch waist and weighed like 120 lbs. She’d be a size 2 or so in modern sizing.
I think for us Celebitches who are skeptical of celebrities and critique them it’s hard to imagine being so easily influenced by one but unfortunately Lili is right. Kim’s more gullible fans will believe that her alleged 16lbs weight loss is an accomplishment and something to be admired and emulated.
(And she didn’t even lose 16lbs!)
Kim also is in a unique position because she has the power and ability to create trends because of her wealth and influence. So her actions are more detrimental than with most celebrities I feel.
I find it so sad that Kim is 41 and still doing crash diets and desperately chasing thin. The best thing about being an elder millennial is finally reaching the IDGAF stage of body composition.
Yes, keep it healthy and moving, but we don’t have pinch belly skin and fear muffin tops anymore. Just buy the pants that make you feel great. Buy the dress that lets you dance and doesn’t require SPANX. We don’t have to be miserable in our bodies anymore! We grew up!
It’s crazy because there is a picture on on the KUWTK Sub-Reddit of the BACK of the dress and it isn’t even zipped up. Idk if it’s real, but if it is, Kim could have at least been honest and admitted that if she did starve herself, she still didn’t fit in the dress. It would have highlighted how ridiculous her “starvation” to fit a dress really was… oh… I guess that’s too much like right for Kim to admit something like that. smh
It was part of the video of Kim being wedged into the dress – there was a 6″ gap at the hips even after dieting. They had to tie the dress at the waist and then cover the gap with a fur wrap.
This is a bit of madness.
We are all beautiful in our own ways. Can we not just embrace that?
I’m a pear shaped middle aged woman and I have never felt so gorgeous. I am so happy to know my inside is the force to be reckoned with.
I’m sick and tired of this insane outrage at ridiculous things.
Whilst the entire world burns and crashes around us.
How about we save our collective energies on things that matter. Women rights and protection is dangling in our eyes. Who gives a Fck how Kim Kardashian’s got into a dress
Eating disorders are not ridiculous. KK continues to promote an unhealthy physical ideal for young women. There is a definite connection between how women see themselves and their civil rights.
You must be stronger than I am because I can’t focus on the misery 24/7. I need distractions now and then. And women’s self image, they image in society and how looks are tied to our worth by society are hardly frivolous topics.
Unpopular opinion but it’s always been news when an actor does a transformation for a role. Christian Bale, Joaquin Phoenix, Renee Zellewegger, etc. KK said she thought of this like a role and although that’s such a weird way of looking at it I guess to her it made sense. All of this to say; it’s completely unhealthy but it’s not the first time a celebrity has done something exaggerated to their body. Lili Reinhardt is completely right but she’s also on a show watched mostly by teens, starring beautiful thin girls who are supposed to be in high school. She’s also a cover girl spokesperson where I’m sure she’s somewhat photoshopped for print ads. She’s absolutely a part of the very issue she’s discussing even if it’s at a much smaller level.
I don’t understand your point. So young women actors should just shut up about this because they’re in the industry and therefore part of the problem?
It’s a gd wonder any progress is ever made with all the handmaidens who think changing the status quo can’t be done.
She’s not just in the industry, she’s a proactive part of the problem within the industry. She has a cover girl brand deal and her latest ad is photoshopped to the point that she’s unrecognizable. She may not be losing 16 pounds in three weeks but if she cared what impressionable people thought she could have a clause in her deal that she gets final approval over her likeness. She literally makes her money off of unrealistic beauty standards. I don’t think she should shut up at all but she herself could help contribute to the issue.
@JD
Girl, please stop making excuses for Kim. Kim is as much of an actress as I am which is not at all this, was no “role she was losing the weight for”. Kim promotes diet teas , lollipops and other fake weight loss products on her Instagram to her followers while she goes and gets liposuction and Photoshopped pictures to make herself look thinner.
Not to mention Kim left out the fact that the dress still didn’t fit her like someone above said there was a 6-inch gap in the back of the dress which they had to cover up.
I’m not making excuses – literally don’t know her. But I’ve read enough laughable articles about what actors do for their “art” and as long as an Oscar is on the table they’re applauded for it. KK did it for an asinine reason but at the end of the day it’s no less shocking or unhealthy than an actor.
Yet you are making excuses by saying well other people do it for other reason’s.
Kim is bragging about “starving herself ” which I’m sure she will sell more fake diet products to her followers for a dress that did even fit. If Kim is even telling the truth because she and the rest of her family lies about everything, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was all the sell a fake diet products.
Kardashian and art don’t go together. Stop trying to make something out of nothing.
Lilly is annoying AF. I like her message but calling people stupid is so rude. Celebrities experience the same toxicity as everyone else. As someone who was super thin and still told I was too heavy by the industry, I get the pressure. And now I am quite plump and I so struggle with body image. Even at 60 years old!!!
Again so Bored of these shallow Kardashians. Rich and privileged, not good role models. They don’t promote healthy standards.
About 8 years ago I worked a part time retail job with just a bunch of other women who were way younger than me. One day I brought in my favorite tea, PG Tips and offered it to the other girl working the shift with me. She immediately asked “Is this diet tea?” I was like “No. What the f*ck is DIET tea?” I was appalled to discover any such thing existed. I don’t know why I was so surprised growing up with products like Slim Fast, Crystal Light and all the diet sodas. It guess it just showed me how relentless the diet industry is.
Diet tea?!?! Thanks for that laugh 🤣
I have friends who drink what they call “diet tea” and it’s a laxative tea… Don’t know if that’s what your colleagues were talking about?
There’s an ad that keeps popping up on my Instagram for a weight loss product called “Colon Broom”
I looked it up, and it’s a freaking $50 jar of fancy Metamucil.
I really do feel bad for younger people who don’t have the experience to think critically about these ads and the comments celebs like Kim make.
Lili definitely has a point and the Kardashians are definitely weight-obsessed.
However, I think EVERY SINGLE celebrity going to the Met Gala or the Oscars or to any other ceremony crash diet.
Wasn’t it Beyoncé who did the master cleanse before the Academy Awards or who talked about her (crash) diet before her Coachella gig?
So, while I think Lili is perfectly right to promote health, I think it’s way too easy to criticize the Karadshians. It’s convenient for people who want to speak out to criticize a K… They seem like such easy targets and it seems even popular to criticize them.
Make no mistake, I’m no K stan BUT I think then why not critcize / speak up against ALL OF THE OTHER celebrities who starved themselves for the Met…
(And don’t tell me that Kim deserved it because she bragged about it…they all did the same!!)
The difference is Kim and family sell and promote fake diet products to their followers. So their bragging is part to help sell those products while they get plastic surgery.
Is Beyoncé selling fake diet products on instagram to her follower ?
Lili has a point that it is a bad message, and crash dieting is very dangerous. But, no matter how much you hate the Kardashians, they didnt invent it. How many women can you think of in your personal life that had to lose X-amount of weight to fit in to their wedding dress or go on diets for bikini season? All this really does is give people another excuse to trash the K’s and talk about how they are vain / worthless / plastic / toxic, etc.
My issue with Lili is that she kind of moves the goal posts of what contributes to unrealistic body expectations/ beauty standards.
She plays a high schooler decked out in full lingerie while in her 20s. That’s not the same kind of body an actual 14-18 year old is walking around in and it’s a show that’s CLEARLY geared at a younger crowd than what Kim is reaching out for. Are young kids even paying that much attention to Kim K? I feel like her reach is largely millennial upwards.
When someone criticized the show for that very issue she responded with something along the lines of “well not everyone is chiseled on set and I still feel uncomfortable compared to my coworkers. I gained weight due to depression and that made me uncomfortable filming. I’m not a size 0 or a perfect hourglass shape” but that still doesn’t address the issue.
I applaud her for candidly talking about her own body struggles and for calling out dangerous dieting. But to think that her own show isn’t contributing to the same awful beauty standards, the same high expectations that weigh on teens is just being willfully blind. Maybe they’re not perfect hourglass shapes, maybe they’re not size 0s, but they are all still ridiculously good looking (some tweaking involved for some) with bodies that your average teen or even your average adult certainly won’t have. And when the vast vast majority of the characters on the show look the way they do, it’s not exactly solving the crisis of youth beauty standards just because some of them are a size 4 instead of a size 0.
Everyone probably fasts and works out before events like this, but no one was bragging about it on the red carpet in order to have some type of morbid cosplay in Marilyn’s dress. LATimes had an article on how museum conservators were very upset by this because of pressure to lend historical exhibit pieces to wealthy people with access. It’s disgusting and these delicate items should not be worn like this. Ripley’s museum, which owned it, is more of a side show attraction than a proper museum, because I doubt the Smithsonian or the Met would have done a cheap stunt like this. She couldn’t even zip it up all the way and she had an exact replica. The fur looked cheap, she didn’t even look good in it, like some corpse bride trying to steal someone else’s soul, she even took locks of Marilyn’s hair ( morbid AF). Someone said she should have left Pete at home because she looked more like his babysitter than her date. Ugh, as someone who loves fashion history and historical dress, was just offended by this on so many levels.
I agree with Lilli, We already know that Kim had to diet and restrict herself–its the Trashian way.
There was no need for her to mention it on the red carpet…its the same ole, same ole.
She has no other interesting conversation with her, so there you have it.
The pictures showed that both Kim and her dresser had to wear those white gloves while getting ready, and even while her hair was getting done. Yet, she was still able to touch the dress with her bare hands while posing on the red carpet. I hope it was worth all the money Kim paid to the museum who stores such memorabilia. There were stories online criticizing the place for lending the dress to Kim, not because of who Kim is necessarily but because it tends to degrade the fabric faster.
I will never understand why she bothered doing all that nonsense, she was never going to look better than Marilyn in it. Why go to all that effort just to look second best?
I don’t remember people coming down on Beyonce when she crashed dieted using that master cleanse that then became a fad.
That was a million years ago and juice cleanses have been debunked since then, we know better. It doesn’t exonerate Kim to all of a sudden focus on something Beyoncé did in 2010 or 2012 or whatever. That’s not a defense. Not only that at least Beyoncé is a performer and she choose to do that as part of a full regimen and one-time performance. It’s not a regular occurrence for her. Kim is just an over-hyped and privileged influencer who could do better and chooses not to.