Tallulah Willis, 26, responds to commenters calling her body 'triggering': 'I hope to be as transparent as possible'
Tallulah Willis deleted an Instagram selfie to avoid “triggering” fans, however, she re-posted it to make a point about well-being.
On Wednesday, the 26-year-old daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis shared the selfie in which she wore a black pair of shorts, a bra top and a hooded sweatshirt by SKIMS. Although she intended to promote Kim Kardashian’s loungewear brand, the post carried a heavier message for some.
“[I] took it down because I felt [sensitive], vulnerable and guilty after I saw some comments that my body was triggering,” Tallulah wrote, adding that the pandemic, along with other factors, has resulted in “more acute stress” than she’s ever experienced and that her body’s “subconscious mechanism/response to stress has predominantly been lack of appetite and shedding weight.”
“I do not deny that in the past I have leaned into this response, fetishizing what was happening, ignoring the importance of general health and vitality,” she confessed. “Today this is not the case, I am working very deeply from the mental side as well as physical to keep myself and my well-being at the highest point of priority.”
The actress wrote, “Aesthetics are not in play here, I genuinely cannot at this moment tell you why/how this is happening to my body. Regardless of size and shape it is still my body, my armor, what protects my precious organs and functions and so I still must be proud of all it does.”
“I do not mean to trigger, but I also do not feel I want to hide or be ashamed of where I’m at or my process,” she wrote. “I hope to be as transparent as possible. I plead with you, do not see this as inspiration, or a desirable place to end up. See a young woman who is very tired, who lacks energy, who is trying to frantically nourish herself while figuring out how to minimize stress.”
According to the American Psychological Association, the term “trigger” is “a stimulus that elicits a reaction. For example, an event could be a trigger for a memory of a past experience and an accompanying state of emotional arousal.”
Los Angeles psychotherapist Bethany Marshall explains: “‘Triggering’ means that a current event — seeing an image, hearing a word — stimulates the same negative emotions that were experienced during a past traumatic event,” she tells Yahoo Life. “It can feel as though a past traumatic event is happening again.”
In the event of post-traumatic stress disorder, she adds, a person experiences what is called a flashback. “This is a very specific experience where a current event recalls all of the emotions of the original trauma,” she says.
Last year, Tallulah revealed insight about life in her famous family, particularly into her relationship with Moore as a guest on Red Table Talk.
“I felt like my mom made a choice to hold back certain things, like sharing about her past, and I think it always made me feel very far away from her,” she said, admitting the pair were distanced at one point. “And always made me feel like I didn’t know her very well. I knew she had a career, she met my dad, she grew up in New Mexico, but it was like that was it.”
However, Tallulah and her mom are now close. “I think we deified her,” Tallulah said of Demi. “I think she was this larger than life being, and she was — I mean, I’m completely obsessed with her. Like I love her more than anything.”
In 2017, Tallulah shared on Instagram that getting sober “has been far and beyond the most important thing I've done in my wee 23 years.”
In July, the star launched the clothing line Wyllis — but the clothes aren’t just cute. Phone numbers for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline are listed at the bottom of the website.
“It isn’t for the cozy-safe,” Talllah told CR Fashion Book in July. “It’s more about, I might not feel the best, but I’m still going to put something on that’s bright and in-your-face, and I’m still here.”
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is open 24 hours a day at 800-273-8255.
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