A beauty and lifestyle vlogger who has been accused of having an eating disorder has now candidly opened up about her struggle with body dysmorphia.
Meredith Foster, 22, from Los Angeles, embarked on a new fitness routine in 2017 that led many fans and followers to question whether or not she was suffering from anorexia.
In July 2017, she took to YouTube to address the rumors, and emphatically deny she had a problem, despite her tiny frame and new vigorous exercise regime, made public on her hugely successful channel.
Struggle: Lifestyle and beauty vlogger, Meredith Foster, 22, from LA, has revealed her struggle with body dysmorphia, pictured left in December 2016 and right in May 2016
Rumors: Meredith was accused of having an eating disorder after she embarked on a rigorous exercise regime in early 2017, pictured in June 2017
Fit fam: Meredith, pictured left in June 2017 and right in April 2017, says she was able to change the way her body looked through exercise but admits she still struggles with body image
Denial: However, Meredith has emphatically denied she has an eating disorder and addressed the rumors in a YouTube video in July 2017, pictured in May 2017
However, the blogger is now admitting she has struggled with body image in the past in a heartfelt ‘before and after’ style Instagram post.
Captioning a side-by-side picture of her wearing gym gear in December 2016 on the left and running on the beach in a bikini in May 2016 the on the right, Meredith wrote: ‘I used to have so many negative thoughts about my body. I never felt good enough even though I was.’
She added that despite gaining a huge amount of physical strength during her transformation, her mental strength didn’t increase in tandem, and she couldn’t change ‘the way I looked at myself’.
‘Even though I had achieved a goal of becoming fit I still did not accept or love myself fully,’ she explained, hinting that her unhappiness with her ‘before’ body led to her undertaking such a dramatic exercise program.
Meredith also implied that social media was partly to blame, writing, ‘If you find yourself on social media comparing yourself to others let go of that thought and replace it with an affirmation: I am enough. I am beautiful. I am worthy. Our bodies are all made differently and will have routines that make them feel the happiest so listen to what your body tells you.’
She also seemed to aim her message at those who have accused her of being anorexic.
She added: ‘This is a place with no judgement. This is a place to inspire each other, share ideas, and spread words of encouragement. At the end of the day our bodies are just a vessel for the soul. Treat your body the way you want your soul to be treated; gently, with love, and tenderness.’
Meredith concluded the lengthy caption by sharing that her goal for 2018 is to ‘spread as much compassion and light as I can’ and that her mantra is ‘to be beautiful not in the way your body looks but in the way your mind and soul works.’
In her latest YouTube video, the young social influencer can be seen eating putting this into practicing, eating an In-N-Out Burger with her boyfriend, for the first time in two years.
In July 2017, Meredith took to YouTube in a video entitled, ‘Addressing the rumors’ where she took direct aim at accusations she had an eating disorder.
‘So, I wanted to address something that’s been talked about all over my YouTube video comments and my Instagram comments, and that is my weight, how I look, my appearance,’ she explained in the vlog.
‘I have been seeing so much negativity and so many awful things.’
Negativity: Meredith, pictured here in August 2017, has revealed in the video that people took to social media to tell her she looked ‘sickly’
Gym bunny: Meredith, seen here exercising in a YouTube video posted in February 2017, shared her new exercise regime with followers after she decided to get fit
Mind, body and soul: In her Instagram post she revealed her goal for 2018 is slightly different -‘to be beautiful not in the way your body looks but in the way your mind and soul works’
Making a point: Meredith continued to post food related pictures on her Instagram account in June (right) and July 2017 (left) even thought people accused of having an eating disorder
Frenemies: Meredith (far right) also cut ties with former BFFs (l-r) Teala Dunn, Eva Gutowski and Sierra Furtados, pictured at Coachella in April 2016, after they fueled the rumors
She continued: ‘A lot of people in the comments say I look ‘sickly,’ which is not okay to say to anybody, and that the purple [under my eyes] is scary, or whatever, and that’s a sign that I’m not healthy. I would like to point out the fact that I’ve had these purple under-eye bags since I was born. It’s hereditary.’
Fans first started expressing their concern when Meredith appeared to lose a significant amount of weight in early 2017, despite the face she was still posting pictures of her food and of her eating ice-cream.
And there has also been speculation that her supposed eating disorder was to blame for the end of her friendship with fellow YouTubers, Eva Gutowski, Teala Dunn and Sierra Furtados.
In August 2017, Sierra and Teala posted a video to YouTube where Eva referenced an unnamed ‘best friend’, who was ‘having a really tough time the past few months with some personal things’.
She added that they had been left scared and confused on how to ‘handle someone dealing with these things’ and that all offers of help had been rejected.
‘We now have lost our best friend to something much bigger, and we don’t know what to do because she refuses to get together to talk in person on what’s going on and how we can all be there for each other,’ she explained.
‘All we’re trying to do is be together all at once so in person (which is so important) we can maybe help for good.’
Meredith responded by taking a break from YouTube for three months, returning in October with the messages, ‘sometimes you just need to take time to yourself and spend time with people who make you happy and lift you up.’