Just before Riverdale would go on break until 2018, Betty Cooper was showing signs that Dark Betty might return. Her Serpent pole dance served as a moment in the show that led Jughead to believe she was better off without him, but outside the show, it's been causing issues for actress Lili Reinhart. Pictures of Betty Cooper circled the web with a side-by-side of a model wearing the same outfit shown in the scene, prompting commenters to compare the two. Reinhart spoke out against the trending post recently, and responded directly to the body shaming trolls of the web:
It's disappointing. This photo is being posted by fan accounts. The same fan accounts who love to talk about the amazing female friendships on the show, girl power, Veronica's inspiring feminism, body positivity, etc. And that is the most hypocritical shit I've ever seen.
The post clearly troubled Lili Reinhart and, as she mentioned, it was upsetting that it was shared by many of the same Riverdale fan accounts that point out some of the more positive influences of the show. Instead of those uplifting posts, Reinhart revealed fans are instead comparing her body to that of a model, and saying unkind things about her body. Reinhart said she's against the whole post in general, based on the fact that it promotes the idea that it's ok to place two women on a pedestal and compare them.
Lili Reinhart continued on in her Tumblr post saying she's aware she's not a model, and that these types of posts make it difficult for those dealing with body image issues to accept who they are. Reinhart's words have been met with a ton of support on the platform, and it appears that the fan account responsible for creating the image (@itsveronicalodge) has been removed from Instagram. Additionally, it appears as though the fanbase got the message, as the trending meme has seemed to have disappeared from popular Riverdale fan accounts.
Riverdale returns to The CW with new episodes Wednesday, January 17 at 8:00 p.m. ET on The CW. For more on shows that are set to premiere or return in 2018, be sure to head on over to our midseason premiere guide. Those still refusing to leave 2017 behind can still find some great shows to check out before the ball drops at our fall premiere guide. Finally, anyone wishing to see which shows in 2017 didn't quite cut the mustard and ended up getting dumped before they could see a 2018 renewal can head over to our cancellation guide and get an explanation as to what went down.
