Erin Heatherton Opens Up About Body Image, Mental Health Issues


In a brave and revealing Instagram post, Erin Heatherton told her 715,000 followers that she faced body image issues when she modeled for Victoria’s Secret. It’s not surprising to hear that the popular lingerie brand places a lot of pressure on their runway models, like Heatherton, to look model thin.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCzFP9NCPfc/?taken-by=erinheathertonlegit&hl=en

The model, who has walked in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, took to the social media app to share a photo of herself wearing a black crop tank the features the phrase “Empowered by Failure” written across her chest and stomach. In the caption, Heatherton admitted her body image and mental health issues and how they led her to become a healthier and stronger person.

“The breakdown to breakthrough moment in my life has allowed me to become the truest version of myself. In my moment of ‘failure,’ I stood in the face of adversity. I was struggling with my body image and the pressures to fulfill the demands of perfectionism upon me. I am not perfect. Through this struggle, however, I found the strength to love myself. I stood in my power.”

The 27-year-old revealed that she hopes her inspirational message will help inspire other women, and her fellow models, to do the same.

“I stepped away from hiding behind a fabricated version of myself. I no longer put actions behind my fears and insecurities. I made a choice to redirect my energy to be a catalyst for change. To create a channel for women to become the truest versions of themselves, along with me.”

In a shocking new interview, Heatherton revealed to Time‘s “Motto” section that she suffered from depression when she was pressured to lose weight for the brand. The runway model said that she dealt with serious mental health issues after she was told she was too large to wear the label’s sexy lingerie. Heatherton even admitted that she thought of forgoing eating altogether so she could adhere to the strict weight demands, nearly leading her to an eating disorder.

“I was really depressed because I was working so hard and I felt like my body was resisting me. And I got to a point where one night I got home from a workout and I remember staring at my food and thinking maybe I should just not eat.”

Now Erin strives to live a healthier lifestyle. She previously revealed to People that she has been focused on her Ballet Beautiful workouts to help find both her inner and outer strength.

“My body is very athletic, so the exercises that really help my body are things that are lengthening. I’ve been doing Ballet Beautiful since 2013, and I’m still in the falling-in-love stage. It re-taught me how to stand, and a different way to hold my weight, so it helps me move as a model as well.”

Heatherton says that she works out almost seven days a week for an hour-and-a-half, but she now knows when to give her body a rest.

The blonde beauty has been modelling since the age of 17. She has appeared in fashion campaigns for high-end brands such as Chanel and Prada, and has been featured on the covers of Elle, GQ, and Marie Claire.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BDpZmn6iPUF/

Heatherton is literally saying “f**k you” to her haters by sharing sizzling photos of herself on Instagram. Instead of posing in sexy lingerie, the model has been stripping down to bikinis and other skimpy attire inside the pages of GQ and the 2016 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. In the series of racy photos, Heatherton has proved that there’s nothing wrong with her body.

[Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Swarovski]

Share this article: Erin Heatherton Opens Up About Body Image, Mental Health Issues
More from Inquisitr