Riverdale star Camila Mendes opened up about being sexually assaulted and roofied in the October 2019 cover story for Women’s Health.
The actress said she was sexually assaulted during her freshman year of college at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. The experience inspired her to get a tattoo, which reads “to build a home” in cursive lettering above her rib.
“I got the tattoo after my freshman year,” she told the publication. “I had a very, very bad experience; I was roofied by someone who sexually assaulted me.”
Following the assault, Mendes became motivated to create a safe and comfortable environment for herself. Having moved 12 times by the time she turned 18, she also hoped to create a sense of stability for herself that she didn’t have in her childhood. “I’ve always, always wanted nothing more than stability,” she said.
“Moving around throughout my whole childhood was a bit traumatic,” Mendes explained. “You’re constantly saying goodbye to people, and you’re constantly being removed from your identity. When you start to feel like you’re connecting with a group of people, an environment, and a home — a physical home — it can be destabilizing when you’re uprooted and taken somewhere else.”
The actress was also open about her struggle with eating disorders, particularly bulimia. “I’ve only recently gotten better,” she said, while she credited a therapist and nutritionist for helping her get better. “I needed professionals I trusted to tell me things that I didn’t know.”
She later credited her online fan base for keeping her accountable and motivated when it comes to her eating disorder. “When I was a teenager, there were no role models when it came to body positivity — that simply was not a thing. Being thin was the thing,” she said. “It’s health that’s important, not appearance. I make choices that are good for me — and not just in my body, but for my soul, for my mind. And sometimes that’s eating ice cream because I want to eat ice cream.”
