The former “Food Network” star posted a mirror selfie to Instagram while discussing how difficult the past year has been.
In an underwear selfie, Valerie Bertinelli, who is embracing her body, proudly displayed her new form, while some admirers denounced it as indecent.
In the bathroom photo, the actress stood next to a sink and posed without makeup. She brought a box of hair dye up to the camera while wearing a black two-piece and having her hair down.
Bertinelli captioned the post, “At some point I will talk about the madness my body has been through this year. But right now every lump, bump, wrinkle and saggy part of me just feels acceptance and simple appreciation to be standing in front of a mirror in a hotel bathroom in downtown Manhattan, ready to color my roots late on a Monday night.”
Fans reacted to her revealing picture, with some calling the post unnecessary: “That’s great for you, but you don’t have to show everyone.” Other fans voiced their disapproval, “Have you lost your mind posting this photo. Get some therapy.”
A user who found the post excessively showy said, “She looks great but at some point in time you’ve got to stop being an attention seeker and just live your life.” Someone else bluntly asked, “Do you really think we want to see you in underwear and a bra?” No, we do not. Grow up.”
Another disappointed user exclaimed, “Really don’t need to see this. Why??? Good grief.” A harsher critic begged, “Oh, please. Have some dignity.” Meanwhile, a commenter completely disregarded the post, saying, “Who cares!? Put your clothes on.”
One more user felt that Valerie Bertinelli was craving validation, writing, “Honestly, you’re quite lovely and don’t need to post an underwear picture. If you’re posting for compliments, you’ll get them here, but why do you need them?”
Harsh opinions surfaced as well, with a user saying, “Why do we want to see an old lady wearing her pants online? Disgusting.[sic]” Another individual held a similar opinion, noting, “Agree, why at 60 some years old would you pose in your bra and underwear to the whole world. It’s very inappropriate, in my opinion.”
However, not everyone was critical. One fan praised her appearance, “Looking fabulous!!🔥❤️🔥🔥🔥.” Other fans applauded her boldness, “You look great! Thank you for sharing. You are definitely an inspiration to us all.🥰.” An admirer summed up the positivity, “Valerie you look fantastic! ♥️.”
Bertinelli has made significant progress in embracing her physical appearance. Even though she had a lovely physique, she had trouble accepting herself when she was younger and could only identify her ankles as a desirable feature. She now embraces her body and views aging-related issues like cellulite and drooping skin as a worthwhile accomplishment.
“This is what I have; I so love my brain and my body carries my brain. I so love my heart and this body is what carries my heart, so it’s aging; that’s what we all do; that’s all it’s doing,” she shared.
Bertinelli’s self-love journey led her to write her book “Enough Already: Learning to Love the Way I Am Today,” which was released in 2022. While promoting her book, Bertinelli shared that she realized later in life how much growing up in the public eye, from childhood to adulthood, had influenced her. “It shaped who I thought I needed to be,” she explained.
The actress now acknowledges that she was mistaken to think she had to win over everyone. The entertainment industry had taught her that being overweight made one unlovable, but she has since discovered that this is untrue. Bertinelli’s current priorities include consciously embracing joy and achieving self-acceptance.
The public pressure Bertinelli faced to lose weight and the fatshaming she endured as a child initially made her angry. “I remember my fifth grade teacher patting me on the belly and saying, ‘You might want to keep an eye on that. That was the first time I became really aware of my body,” she recalled.
Additionally, when she starred as a teen in “One Day at a Time,” she got more comments about her body. “I was made to feel I could lose a few, like, let’s see if we can get you into a smaller size,” shared Bertinelli.
She eventually ceased being impacted by these statements, and she started to stop criticizing her weight personally after telling her therapist she no longer wanted to feel upset.
Bertinelli added that she no longer checks her weight as often and that she changed her attention from the scale’s reading. She instead uses the fit of her clothing, especially a pair of jeans, to measure her progress. She underlined that working on oneself rather than becoming fixated on numbers is the path to real progress.
Additionally, the 64-year-old finds inspiration in plus-size celebrities, whom she feels exude self-love and confidence. She thought about how these people are role models and wished they had been around to inspire her as a child. She conveyed her profound appreciation for their presence, emphasizing that what really shines through is their inner radiance, no matter how big or small.
In order to turn what might have been a negative aspect of her connection with food into a strength, Bertinelli has also worked to reframe it. Her mother and grandmother had used food as a symbol of affection, and it became her passion once more, especially once she started working on “Food Network.”
Bertinelli now understands that her heart, brains, and the generosity she extends to others are what truly define her value, not her physical appearance.
In addition to helping her exercise self-compassion, the actress hopes that by sharing her story, she will encourage others to be kinder to themselves. She wants to make a connection with someone who would benefit from hearing her message of acceptance of who they are.
