Dealing with an eating disorder isn't easy in any situation. But dealing with it while living in the public eye is especially hard.
Amelia Gray Hamlin - the daughter of Lisa Rinna, who is famous for her former role on Days of Our Lives - understands this more than most, as she has a history of anorexia. Still only 16-years-old, the teenage model has spent most of her life being followed by paparazzi and stalked on social media, and she's only just about coming to terms with her personal struggles in the past.
In a post on Instagram, Amelia detailed her former struggles, and let her followers know about the progress she's made.
"I feel comfort with finally posting something that I wish I was confident enough to post long ago. I’m getting many comments comparing my body today vs. my body last year. I think that the support from my followers has really pushed me into writing this.
"Anyways, last year at this time there was no doubt that I was not okay. Not only physically but also mentally. I feel like sometimes people forget that just because your job involves being in front of the camera, doesn’t mean you can’t have bad days."
She then went on to say what made her feel worse about herself, and subsequent decisions she made to fend off negative thoughts.
"We’re human. All of us. Instead of people ever commenting on my mental stability, people commented on my weight. Usually, when people are struggling with an eating disorder it stems from your mind, and your body is a reflection of it. I could go on and on about that time of my life, but the most important part about it was waking up one morning and deciding to stop sabotaging myself. My health, my physical health, my mental health and everything about myself."
Here's a side-by-side of her before and after pictures:
But Amelia understands that she is not at the end of her journey yet.
"The first photo, taken today is not a photo of the perfect girl. That is a photo of me, trying to figure out my body, and owing [sic] my curves that I naturally have, and not forcing myself to starve them away," she wrote.
The teen was recently diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease, an autoimmune disorder that attacks the thyroid gland.
"I have a lot of health complications after starving myself for so long so it’s going to be a journey that I go through for a large part of my life. I still have an extremely healthy life style and I workout so hard all week to maintain my Body. Not to say that recently being diagnosed with hashimotos has also been an extreme challenge for me to balance when still getting over this part of my life, but I am getting there. One day at a time. I want to help."
Amelia might still only be a teenager, but she seems to have a really good grip on what is best for her and her body. Hopefully, her road to recovery will inspire others in a similar situation to her and show young women that being super skinny isn't the same as being healthy.