Valerie Bertinelli opened up about a “small hidden bruise” that was triggered when she wore an old pair of pants for the first time in agess. She did not say who her abuser was but explained that an ex had mocked her mercilessly, especially when she wore that particular pair of pants. However, she’s done a lot of healing and has found the confidence to wear the pants again with a proud smile on her face.
Bertinelli revealed that a pair of pants unlocked a ‘hidden bruise’
Bertinelli took to Instagram to share a vulnerable moment with her followers. She explained that wearing a specific pair of pants triggered a painful memory. For a long time, she had “stopped wearing” these pants because she was “mercilessly mocked” by an unnamed ex who told her she was “too lazy” to try and lose weight. She said the pants would make a certain noise when she walked because her legs rubbed together.
“I had a small hidden bruise that was activated today,” she said in the shared video. “You can probably hear them because my pants are rubbing together and it makes this particular sound.” As she explained the cruel mocking she had been subjected to, she mimicked her abuser: “I’m too lazy to do anything about it, they wouldn’t rub together if you ….’ Anyway, it doesn’t matter now because it’s in the past.”
Bertinelli went on to explain what a hidden bruise is. “Hidden bruises are something that emotional, verbal, mental abuse do to you that people can’t see, but we kinda deal with every day when they’re activated.”
She’s wearing the pants now and moving on
Bertinelli was wearing the same exact pants she was previously mocked for while filming the new video. Prior to this, she had put the “pants away forever, I even changed the way I walk in them,” she explained. “So now I can wear them, hear that sound, and that’s the sound of freedom to me.” Listening to her pants make that sound today, she said, “it’s making me giggle now.”
To be able to put the pants back on took a lot of personal work for Bertinelli, and she’s proud of how far she’s come. “I’m so grateful the work I’m doing on healing is working,” she said. However, she was still hesitant to post the video to her Instagram page for fear that she would be told to “let go of it and move on.”
Finding the courage to post it, she explained, “This is called moving on. This is called healing. And to all of you that can identify with this and feel seen: Welcome. I’m just another part of your tribe.”
Fans showed their support for Bertinelli
Bertinelli’s vulnerability was met with major support from her fans and followers. Some even took to the comments to express their own personal experience with “hidden bruises” and healing journeys.
“I was with a friend for lunch today and we were talking about the exact same thing,” one person wrote. “I’ve been single for almost 17 years and triggers still happen but since I’ve started to not push myself relentlessly to get beyond and realize that every step is a win, I’m finding that it’s getting better. I don’t follow ‘the’ plan anymore, I follow my plan. Amazing how that works.”
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Showing full support for Bertinelli, yet another fan wrote, “Triggers happen all the time and people who are telling you to let it go haven’t been through it. I applaud your drive to heal and move forward… know you are not alone.”