According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), 30 million people across the U.S. suffer from an eating disorder, and now, 16-year-old Amelia Gray Hamlin is coming forward as one of them.
The teenage daughter of actress and reality TV star Lisa Rinna has made her mark in the modeling industry, first signing with IMG Models last summer and later walking the Dolce & Gabbana runway. Along with her 19-year-old model sister, Delilah Belle Hamlin, she’s also worked with brands as major as Tommy Hilfiger.
But life in front of the cameras isn’t as easy as she’s made it seem.
On Sunday, Amelia took to Instagram to share a post in which she revealed she battles anorexia. She shared two images, the first in a red bikini and, if you swipe, the second in a white bikini, to show how her figure has changed in one year. As she points out, the new red bikini photo is of her in a healthier place.
“Last year at this time there was no doubt that I was not okay. Not only physically but also mentally. I feel like sometimes people forget that just because your job involves being in front of the camera, doesn’t mean you can’t have bad days. We’re human. All of us,” she wrote. “Instead of people ever commenting on my mental stability, people commented on my weight. Usually, when people are struggling with an eating disorder it stems from your mind, and your body is a reflection of it.”
VIDEO: Models with Famous Parents
In the post, she moves on to explain that after finally seeking help for her anorexia, she’s learned to love her body, though it is a journey. “I have a lot of health complications after starving myself for so long so it’s going to be a journey that I go through for a large part of my life. I still have an extremely healthy life style and I workout so hard all week to maintain my body,” she wrote, adding that though she was recently diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, which affects the thyroid gland, she wants to help others suffering from similar eating disorders.
RELATED: Two Editors Launch the Eating Disorder Support Group Fashion Needs
Hamlin, of course, is not the first celebrity to open up about body image to the public. Recently, Selena Gomez quoted author Naomi Wolf in an Instagram post about beauty myths. “The beauty myth—an obsession with physical perfection that traps modern women in an endless cycle of hopelessness, self-consciousness, and self-hatred as she tries to fulfill society’s impossible definition of flawless beauty,” she wrote. “I chose to take care of myself because I want to, not to prove anything to anyone. Wind in her sails.”
Similarly, Demi Lovato, for years, has been a body positivity advocate. After announcing she’s done with dieting for good, she recently shared a powerful photo of what she calls her “no more dieting thighs.” Powerful, indeed.
Click Here: geelong cats guernsey 2019