5 Reasons Valerie Bertinelli's Viral Underwear Photo Is The Body Acceptance 'Ad' We Deserve

The conversation surrounding Valerie Bertinelli's body image has reached a new, profoundly personal level. In a world saturated with highly-produced celebrity endorsements, the actress and Food Network star has recently generated massive buzz—not from a formal commercial campaign, but from a raw, unfiltered mirror selfie shared on her personal social media, often referred to by fans as her "underwear ad." This candid moment, which has been widely reported as recently as December 2024, is a powerful, intentional statement on self-acceptance and a complete pivot from her past life as a spokesperson for weight-loss programs like Jenny Craig. It represents a monumental shift in her public narrative: from striving for a perfect "after" photo to embracing the beauty of the "now."

The significance of this viral moment, where she posed in her bra and underwear, goes far beyond a simple photo; it's a culmination of years of emotional and mental health struggles that she has bravely documented. For her millions of followers, the image serves as a fresh, current, and deeply relatable lesson in prioritizing internal well-being over external appearance. As of December 12, 2025, Bertinelli continues to use her platform to advocate for a healthier, more compassionate approach to body acceptance, making her authentic message one of the most important celebrity endorsements of the year—even if it's an endorsement of herself.

Valerie Bertinelli: A Complete Biography and Career Profile

Valerie Anne Bertinelli is an American actress, television personality, and author whose career spans over five decades, transitioning from a beloved teen idol to an Emmy-winning host and respected memoirist. Her public life has been marked by both professional success and a candid, ongoing journey with body image and personal health.

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• Full Name: Valerie Anne Bertinelli
• Born: April 23, 1960, in Wilmington, Delaware
• Major Career Milestones:
• 1975–1984: Rose to fame as Barbara Cooper Royer in the hit sitcom One Day at a Time.
• 1997–2003: Starred as Gloria in the drama series Touched by an Angel.
• 2007–2010: Served as a prominent spokesperson for the weight-loss company Jenny Craig, achieving a highly publicized 50-pound weight loss.
• 2010–2015: Starred as Melanie Moretti in the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland, alongside Betty White.
• 2015–2023: Hosted the Emmy Award-winning Food Network show Valerie's Home Cooking.
• 2022: Released the New York Times bestselling memoir Enough Already: Learning to Love the Way I Am Today.
• 2024: Announced her new memoir, Getting Naked: The Quiet Work of Becoming Perfectly Imperfect.
• 2025: Made her debut as a game show host on the Game Show Network’s Bingo Blitz.
• Key Relationships: Married to rock musician Eddie Van Halen (1981–2007) and mother to Wolfgang Van Halen.
• Awards: Two Golden Globe Awards for One Day at a Time and two Daytime Emmy Awards for Valerie's Home Cooking.

The Radical Shift: From Jenny Craig Spokesperson to Body Acceptance Icon

To fully appreciate the impact of Valerie Bertinelli’s recent "underwear ad" selfie, it is essential to understand the context of her earlier career. For years, Bertinelli was the face of a traditional weight-loss narrative, most notably as a spokesperson for Jenny Craig in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

The 'Before and After' Narrative

Her work with Jenny Craig centered on the classic "before and after" format, where her success was explicitly tied to the number on the scale. She famously posed in the "fat clothes" from her past, a powerful advertising tactic designed to motivate others by showcasing a dramatic physical transformation. While successful at the time, Bertinelli has since spoken openly about the immense pressure and emotional toll this public focus on her weight took on her mental health.

This period of her life, characterized by external validation and the pursuit of an ideal body, stands in stark contrast to her current messaging. She has reflected on the deep-seated issues that led her to seek weight loss as a solution, realizing that the emotional and internal work was far more critical than the physical appearance. This realization is the foundation for her powerful pivot, making her recent self-portraits a defiant and unique form of "anti-ad."

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The Viral Underwear Selfie: An 'Ad' for Self-Love

In December 2024, at the age of 64, Bertinelli shared a mirror selfie on Instagram where she was wearing only her bra and underwear. This was not a paid promotion for a lingerie brand; it was a deeply personal, unretouched moment intended to spark a conversation about self-love and body acceptance.

The post quickly went viral, with the actress using the moment to discuss her health and her journey to "acceptance" rather than "perfection." She spoke about how she has stopped weighing herself, choosing instead to focus on how her clothes fit and, more importantly, how she feels internally. This raw honesty resonated with millions, earning her praise for her bravery and vulnerability, even as it generated some debate about its appropriateness.

Understanding the 'Protection Weight' Philosophy

The most profound and unique entity to emerge from Bertinelli's current body image dialogue is her concept of "protection weight." This is the key to understanding the emotional depth of her recent public appearances and her viral selfie.

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What is 'Protection Weight'?

Bertinelli has candidly explained that the weight she is currently carrying is a form of "protection" for her mental and emotional health. She has stated that she is "holding on to this weight" because she is not yet "healthier internally and emotionally." This groundbreaking perspective reframes weight not as a failure of discipline, but as a temporary, necessary shield during a period of intense personal change and healing, particularly following her divorce and the grief of losing her ex-husband, Eddie Van Halen.

This concept is a radical departure from the diet industry's messaging. It suggests that weight loss should not be the primary goal, but rather a potential side effect of achieving true internal peace and emotional stability. She believes that when she is genuinely healthier inside, the weight will naturally, and safely, come off.

The New Memoir: 'Getting Naked'

This philosophy is central to her forthcoming memoir, Getting Naked: The Quiet Work of Becoming Perfectly Imperfect. The title itself is a metaphor for stripping away the emotional defenses and public personas she has maintained for decades. She joked that the hardest part of the book was actually "getting naked" emotionally, not just posing for the cover. The book, which is described as her most vulnerable work yet, tackles the hard-won wisdom gained through divorce, grief, and the struggle for self-acceptance.

The book’s promotional campaign, coupled with her viral selfie, creates a powerful, cohesive message. It tells her followers that the journey to self-love is messy, non-linear, and requires patience, compassion, and a complete rejection of the shame-based tactics of traditional diet culture.

The Long-Term Impact on Body Positivity and Endorsements

Valerie Bertinelli’s powerful, unbranded "underwear ad" is a significant cultural moment that has a lasting impact on how celebrities engage with body image and endorsements.

A New Model for Celebrity Influence

By choosing a raw, unfiltered selfie over a glossy, paid advertisement, Bertinelli has set a new standard for celebrity authenticity. She has weaponized her personal story—the struggle, the "protection weight," the emotional healing—to create a more impactful message than any commercial could achieve. This move positions her as an authentic voice in the body positivity and self-acceptance movement, a stark contrast to the often-criticized, heavily filtered celebrity endorsements that dominate social media.

Her courage in sharing her body, flaws and all, has garnered praise from fellow celebrities and fans alike, creating a safe space for millions of women over 50 who feel invisible or pressured by unrealistic beauty standards. Her message is clear: your worth is not measured by a scale, and your body is allowed to change as you heal and grow.

The Enduring Legacy of Vulnerability

Bertinelli’s willingness to be "uncomfortably personal," as she describes her book, is her most valuable endorsement. She has transformed the narrative around celebrity weight from one of public scrutiny and commercial exploitation into one of private struggle and public triumph. Entities like her Food Network shows, her acting career, and her new game show Bingo Blitz now have the added layer of her inspiring personal journey, giving her a deeper, more resonant connection with her audience. Her focus on internal health, emotional well-being, and genuine self-compassion is the true, lasting "ad" that will define this chapter of her celebrated life.