The 'Riverdale' star feels 'disheartened' by the fact that people are saying she's too skinny to suffer from body dysmorphia.

• Jul 5, 2018

AceShowbiz - Lili Reinhart has hit back at critics who have attempted to shame her over body dysmorphia.

The actress, best known for portraying Betty Cooper on The CW drama series "Riverdale", has been open about her battles with body image, anxiety and depression in recent interviews.

However, in a string of messages posted on Twitter on Wednesday, July 4, she shared that she had been targeted by online trolls who had argued that she was too thin to suffer from body dysmorphia, a disorder characterised by the obsessive idea that some aspect of one's own body or appearance is severely flawed.

"Feeling really disheartened by the fact that so many people are saying 'you're skinny so shut up about embracing your body.' As if my body dysmorphia is irrelevant because of how I look to some people," she wrote. "I'm either not curvy enough or not skinny enough to feel insecure."

Feeling really disheartened by the fact that so many people are saying “you’re skinny so shut up about embrscing your body.” As if my body dysmorphia is irrelevant because of how I look to some people. I’m either not curvy enough or not skinny enough to feel insecure.

— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) July 4, 2018

Lili has previously stated that her body image issues began when she was 16 and her metabolism slowed down.

Accordingly, she also shared in one of her new tweets that those doubting people with low self-esteem can cause even more problems.

"Mental illness gets worse when people say that you don't have a right to feel the way you do. That's where we are failing. Do not encourage this behaviour. It is destructive. More destructive than you'll ever realise. You may not understand someone's insecurity - but respect it," the 21-year-old noted.

Mental illness gets worse when people say that you don’t have a right to feel the way you do. That’s where we are dailing. Do not encourage this behavior. It is destructive. More destructive than you’ll ever realize. You may not understand someone’s insecurity- but respect it.

— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) July 4, 2018

In a wide-ranging interview with U.S. Harper's Bazaar published earlier this week, Lili said she was committed to presenting her authentic self in the media and embracing her flaws, especially in regards to her struggles with cystic acne.

And the Cleveland native, who is currently dating her "Riverdale" co-star Cole Sprouse, is adamant that the way she looks on the red carpet and in photoshoots isn't how she appears in her everyday life.

"I'm not that flawless image person," she insisted. "I could never live up to that. I'm not going to make people think I'm this airbrushed version of myself. There are lots of versions of me."