Model's honest post about her struggles with anorexia goes viral

Ciara Sheppard
·Contributor Yahoo Style UK
Amelia Gray Hamlin in 2017 [Photo: Getty]
Amelia Gray Hamlin in 2017 [Photo: Getty]

It’s no secret that Instagram presents a perfect life, so when the people we follow so fervently get real and honest about topics on the photo-sharing site, it’s refreshing.

Amelia Gray Hamlin, daughter of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna, who made her New York Fashion Week debut last season, took to Instagram to open up about her struggles with anorexia – an admission that shocked many of her fans.

I feel comfort with finally posting something that I wish I was confident enough to post long ago. I’m getting many comments comparing my body today vs. my body last year. I think that the support from my followers has really pushed me into writing this. Anyways, 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. 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. I could go on and on about that time of my life, but the most important part about it was waking up one morning and deciding to stop sabotaging myself. My health, my physical health, my mental health and everything about myself. Once I got the help that I needed, shortly after the second photo was taken, I began to try to love myself for me. I am SO beyond humbled and grateful to have the platform that I do at such a young age, and to wake up every morning with a little girl reaching out to me and telling me I am her inspiration, really makes me feel like I have a purpose. I went through this journey not for attention, not for people to pitty me, but to help. I am on this earth to help people, and I know that. One in 200 women in the US suffer from anorexia. And I want to help. The first photo, taken today is not a photo of the perfect girl. That is a photo of me, trying to figure out my body, and owing my curves that I naturally have, and not forcing myself to starve them away. 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. Not to say that recently being diagnosed with hashimotos has also been an extreme challenge for me to balance when still getting over this part of my life, but I am getting there. One day at a time. I want to help.

A post shared by Amelia (@ameliagray) on Mar 31, 2018 at 5:57pm PDT

In the Instagram post, which showed two contrasting photos of the model, the 16-year-old started: “I feel comfort with finally posting something that I wish I was confident enough to post long ago.”

In the post, Amelia details her struggles with the eating disorder, addressing comments she’s had from fans about her changing body.

“Last year at this time there was no doubt that I was not okay,” she writes. “Not only physically but also mentally.”

Not gunna lie my bathing suit matches my sunburn..

A post shared by Amelia (@ameliagray) on Apr 9, 2017 at 11:15am PDT

Amelia then discusses the pressures put on models to not have “bad days”: “Instead of people ever commenting on my mental stability, people commented on my weight,” she said.

Amelia then spoke about her road to recovery: “The most important part about it was waking up one morning and deciding to stop sabotaging myself. My health, my physical health, my mental health and everything about myself. Once I got the help that I needed, shortly after the second photo was taken, I began to try to love myself for me.”

She goes on: “The first photo, taken today is not a photo of the perfect girl. That is a photo of me, trying to figure out my body, and owing my curves that I naturally have, and not forcing myself to starve them away. 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.”

Amelia also reveals she suffers from Hashimotos disease – the same thyroid condition supermodel Gigi Hadid recently revealed she suffers from – saying it’s been an extra challenge to her struggles with her weight.

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