Valerie Bertinelli shares old bikini photos as she reflects on 'stupid' weight standards

Valerie Bertinelli is standing by her decision to ditch her bathroom scale.

The actor and former Food Network star, 63, who's been candid about experiencing weight fluctuations over the years, posted a pair of throwback photos of herself sporting a bikini on Instagram to call out unrealistic cultural standards about women's bodies.

The pics, taken in 2014, showed the former "Hot in Cleveland" star wearing a purple bikini as she sunned in a swimming pool.

"2014 #tbt. This is a 150lb body on a 5’4 frame. I don’t weigh myself anymore because this is considered overweight by whose standards I don’t know. It’s stupid and I believed them for far too long," Bertinelli wrote in her caption. "I now, finally, know that I am a kind, considerate, funny, thoughtful woman."

The former "One Day at a Time" actor concluded her post by issuing a plea to her followers to never allow others to judge them by their size.

"So please remember, who you are and what your character is, should never be overshadowed by what size you are or how much you weigh," she wrote. "You are enough. Just the way you are. F--- ‘em."

Bertinelli’s message to fans echoed a similar one she shared in October 2023, when she posted an Instagram video that showed her wearing the jeans and blouse she wore in her first “before” photo as a spokesperson for the Jenny Craig weight loss company.

“Health is not a body size. Health is not the number you see on the scale. Your worth as a human being isn’t dictated by your body. I thought I was fat the last time I wore these clothes,” Bertinelli said in her video.

“I’ve never felt more beautiful, more at peace, more mentally and emotionally stable than I do today, and I’m wearing my ‘fat clothes,’” she added.

In the post's caption, Bertinelli explained that she had been doing “a lot of emotional and mental purging" over the previous year.

Of the old clothes, she wrote, "These were in the back of my closet in my office. I don’t know why I kept them, but now I’m glad I did. It’s nice to see how far I’ve come emotionally. I continue to work on not suppressing or numbing my feelings with food or alcohol, and here I am.”

She added, “I am enough. Our bodies do not define who we are as human beings. A number on the scale does not define how much love your heart can hold."

She concluded by telling fans, "Please love yourself, every single part of you. YOU ARE ENOUGH.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com