PHOTO: Robby Klein/Getty Images

Riverdale star Camila Mendes plays the mysterious, confident Veronica Lodge onscreen, but she isn’t afraid to let her guard down in real life—even when it comes to talking about the tough, personal stuff. On Friday, Mendes revealed that she has struggled with symptoms of an eating disorder in the past, and that her sister suffered with an eating disorder for years as they grew up. In a powerful Instagram post, she explained that she’s partnering with Project HEAL to help raise money for others seeking to help with their own eating disorders.

Project HEAL was founded in 2008 by Liana Rosenman and Kristina Saffran, who met each other during treatment for anorexia. They came together to start the nonprofit to help others who were suffering but couldn’t afford treatment—sadly, many insurance plans don’t provide adequate coverage for eating disorders. (Rosenman and Saffran, by the way, were 2011 honorees in Glamour’s young women of the year list).

“I can say from experience that eating disorders are serious mental illnesses,” Mendes wrote in her post. “Growing up, I watched my big sister suffer from one for many years, and I’ve experienced periods in my life when I’ve suffered symptoms as well. I’m joining Project HEAL to help break the stigma associated with eating disorders.”

Mendes will attend the [Project HEAL San Francisco Gala] on Saturday night to auction off a day on the Riverdale set. The money will go to those in need of treatment.

There’s been a recent cultural shift when it comes to talking about eating disorders, especially in pop culture, with high-profile projects and celebrities helping to shape an honest and empowering cultural concersation. This year’s To the Bone starred Lily Collins as a young woman struggling with anorexia. The film also led Collins to open up about her real life struggles with the illness.

Demi Lovato also got candid about disordered eating in her documentary, Simply Complicated. And Pretty Little Liars star Troian Bellisario wrote, directed, and starred in her film Feed, which tells her own story about her experience with anorexia.

These hard-hitting, personal depictions of what it’s actually like to deal with an eating disorder are helping to shine light on a formerly taboo subject—and it’s wonderful that these celebrity women are using their platforms to lead the way in continuing to break down the stigma surrounding them.

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–Getting Pregnant Might Have Freed Me From My Eating Disorder
–‘Riverdale’ Stars Lili Reinhart and Camila Mendes Scored a Fashion Campaign, and It’s Obviously Friendship Goals