"They preach feminism so much, but I feel like it was one of those instances where they didn't really practice what they preached," she said. "And that's when I first started having more of a negative mindset."
At this school, Hamlin recalled sitting in her social history class in the ninth grade when her teacher pulled up a photo of her mother on the projector — knowing Amelia was in the classroom — and began "dissecting all of the bad things" her mother has done for the representation of women.
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Hamlin asserted she and her fellow students were taught that "models are horrible and they sexualize women in negative ways and actresses are horrible," she said.
"I would just get so uncomfortable, because not only was my mom brought up, but like I'm over here trying to be a model," Hamlin said. "And everybody in my class knew that. And they're like, basically looking at my family, being like, everything you're doing is wrong."
Hamlin and sister Delilah were ultimately pulled from the school by her parents, but the experience pushed the aspiring model into a "depressed state."
"Then, when I went through my eating disorder, I feel like the reason why I was so outspoken and I really wanted to share my story was because I feel like women's stories aren't shared enough," she said.
Hamlin said she eventually came to understand that sexuality doesn't have to be a "negative thing" and that women should have agency over their bodies and how they carry themselves.
Hamlin said she has recovered from her eating disorder and is grateful to have a platform to speak about it.
"I think I just decided to really stand up for women and talk about what I'm going through so that others didn't feel alone," she said.
If you or someone you know is battling an eating disorder, please contact the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) at 1-800-931-2237 or go to NationalEatingDisorders.org.
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