Camila Cabello opens up about her personal struggle with body imaging issues

Camila Cabello has shared some difficult truths about living life under the public eye and how the paparazzi culture has fueled insecurities about her body.

In a lengthy post on Instagram, the singer-actress spoke of her personal struggle with body imaging and how that has been gradually affecting her self-esteem. Speaking about her experience going to beach clubs in Miami, Cabello wrote: “...I’ve worn bikinis that were (too) small and paid no mind to how I looked, then saw pictures online and comments and been so upset. I reminded myself when it impacted my self esteem that I was thinking the culture’s thoughts and not my own [sic]. A culture who has gotten so used to an image of what a “healthy” woman’s body looks like that is completely not real for a lot of women.”

Cabello then goes on to describe how she made sure not to eat anything before heading to the beach that day because she didn’t want to look too heavy, while also sucking in her core nonstop ... knowing it was going to be “basically a whole photoshoot” thanks to the paparazzi around.

“Photoshop, restrictive eating, over exercising and choosing angles that make our bodies look different than how they are in the moment and in their natural form, when we take a deep breath, when we eat a meal, when we allow the waves to tussle us around. I remind myself of this, listen to podcasts on intuitive eating, follow women who accept their cellulite, stretch marks, bellies, bloating and weight fluctuation…” she continued.

The 25-year-old, who recently broke-up with her long-term boyfriend, singer Shawn Mendes, said that she ultimately knew she ended up looking good on the beach, but had the worst time ever, adding: “I felt the emptiness and sadness of our culture’s thoughts that became my thoughts.”

The ‘Havana’ singer also spoke about the affect such body imaging issues can have on a person. “… What is health if you are so fixated on what your body looks like that your mental health suffers and you can’t enjoy your life?,” she asked.

Cabello ended her note saying that she has been seeking therapy and working on her inner self to find some peace.