Lili Reinhart Reveals Why Opening Up About Her Acne Has Been So Important

Lili Reinhart has nothing to hide when it comes to her acne. In fact, she wants people to know all about it, and for good reason.

In the past, the Riverdale star has been outspoken about her struggles with her skin on social media — posting regularly about what it's really like to deal with cystic acne — and in a new interview with Popsugar, she shared why being so open about her skincare has been important to her as she's come into the spotlight.

"I've struggled with my skin ever since I was 13 and I had my first big breakout on my forehead," she said. "I still have cystic acne, so I know there will be times where I break out before a big event. I want to show my fans, and also myself, that's OK. To hide that would feel very inauthentic. My biggest fear is to have someone come up to me in person and think I look different than the image I'm presenting on social media."

Her posts about acne have been endlessly relatable — including the one she shared with her face covered in blemish cream and the caption "Tinder Profile." "My breakouts don't define me," she wrote on the app earlier this year. "To anyone out there who feels embarrassed or ashamed by breakouts... I feel you. We have each other so let's get through this acne experience together."

In addition to sharing what she looks like when she's not in character as Betty Copper, she hopes to one day be able to do the same on a slightly bigger scale. "I love how movies like Ladybird and Eighth Grade show teenagers as they are with acne. I so admire when people do TV or movies where there's a high-definition camera right in their face, and they don't wear makeup," she said, citing Meryl Streep's makeup-free moment in The Devil Wears Prada as another "relatable" inspiration. "As much as I love Riverdale, and think it's cool that the show has such a specific look, it's true that we definitely are picture-perfect. We're polished, every hair is in place, there are fake lashes, and contoured cheekbones. That's just the style of the show. But I definitely am very open to working on projects that aren't like that."

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Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: Lili Reinhart Shares Her Thoughts on Acne, Friends, and Mental Health