Body image is a liar. It’s a thief. It steals decades of confidence and replaces them with a mental tape loop of everything that’s "wrong." If you’ve followed Valerie Bertinelli for any length of time, you know she’s been fighting that thief in the town square for forty years.
Lately, though, something shifted. It wasn't just another weight loss reveal or a sponsored post for a diet shake. When photos of Valerie Bertinelli in a bathing suit started popping up on her Instagram feed in late 2024 and throughout 2025, they didn't look like the airbrushed covers of the past. They looked like... well, a woman. A 64-year-old woman who had finally stopped apologizing for existing in a body that experiences gravity.
The Bikini Photo That Broke the Internet’s Expectations
In December 2024, Valerie posted a bathroom selfie. She was wearing a black bikini, her hair was down, and she was holding a box of hair dye. No ring light. No professional makeup. Just a woman ready to color her roots on a Monday night in a Manhattan hotel.
She mentioned the "madness" her body had been through—falls on stage, injuries, the physical toll of a stressful few years. But the caption was the real kicker. She talked about "acceptance and simple appreciation."
People went nuts. Some were cruel, because the internet is often a dark place, but the majority were stunned by the sheer vulnerability. We are so used to seeing celebrities "bounce back" or "defy age" that seeing someone just occupy their age feels like a radical act of rebellion.
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Why This Isn't the 2009 People Magazine Cover
To understand why a simple selfie matters, you have to look back at the 2009 People cover. You remember it—the turquoise bikini. Valerie was turning 49. She had lost 40 pounds with Jenny Craig. She looked "perfect" by every Hollywood standard.
But years later, she admitted that cover brought her as much shame as it did pride. She was starving herself. She was running five times a week. She was obsessed with a number on a scale that didn't actually buy her happiness.
Honestly, it's kind of heartbreaking. She spent those years "shilling" for an industry that told women they were only valuable if they were shrinking. She has since called herself "part of the problem" during that era. She isn't just "doing a bikini shoot" anymore; she's deconstructing the very idea that she needs to look 20 to be seen.
The Shift from Counting Calories to "Indulging"
If you've read her 2024 cookbook, Indulge, you see the mental shift. She’s done with the "good food vs. bad food" narrative. Basically, she’s eating the pasta. She’s making the Galic Confit BLTs. And she’s doing it without the side dish of guilt.
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- Then: 1,200 calories a day and 10,000 steps was the "goal."
- Now: Joy, nutrition, and mental stability are the metrics.
- The Result: She actually looks more comfortable in her skin now, at 65, than she did in her 40s.
The Reality of Aging in Public
In April 2025, right after her 65th birthday, Valerie shared a video of herself taking a "cold plunge" in a red bikini. She shrieked when she hit the water. She laughed. She showed the "saggies"—her word, not mine—and she didn't care.
It’s easy to say "love yourself." It’s much harder to do it when millions of people feel entitled to comment on your midsection. She’s had to do what she calls "emotional labor" for three years to get to this point.
She's been very vocal about how her dad told her she had to make everyone like her. She finally realized he was wrong. You can't. So you might as well like yourself instead.
What We Can Actually Learn From Valerie’s Journey
This isn't just about a celebrity in a swimsuit. It’s about the "diet culture" many of us grew up with. Valerie Bertinelli is essentially a mirror for a whole generation of women who were told their worth was tied to their jean size.
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When she tried on her old "fat clothes" from her first Jenny Craig "before" photo in early 2025, she realized she felt more beautiful in those clothes today than she did when she was desperately trying to lose weight. That is a massive perspective shift.
Actionable Insights for Your Own Body Image Journey
- Stop Numbing: Valerie has been open about how she used food and alcohol to numb sadness. Dealing with the feelings directly—even the messy ones—often changes your relationship with your body.
- Move for Mood: She’s been doing cold plunges and swimming because it reduces inflammation and helps her brain, not because she's trying to burn off a slice of cake.
- Audit Your Feed: If seeing "perfect" bodies makes you feel like garbage, unfollow them. Follow people like Valerie who show the wrinkles and the reality.
- Accept the "Madness": Your body has been through a lot. Pregnancies, illnesses, stress, aging. It isn't a failure for showing those signs; it's a map of where you've been.
Valerie Bertinelli in a bathing suit isn't a "comeback" story. It’s a "showing up" story. She’s finally showing up as herself, and frankly, it’s the most inspiring thing she’s done in her fifty-year career.
Next time you see a photo of her, look past the bikini. Look at the face of a woman who isn't searching for a mirror to see if she's "enough." She already knows she is.
Practical Next Steps
If you're struggling with your own body image, start by evaluating your "internal toolkit." Are you using food or restrictions to soothe emotional pain? Consider reading Valerie's book Enough Already or Indulge to see how she untangled her self-worth from the scale. Start by choosing one physical activity this week that you do solely because it makes you feel good, rather than because it might change how you look.