The Heartbreaking Truth About Hallmark Star Shenae Grimes

Shenae Grimes-Beech clapped back at haters when they attacked her about her appearance. The actor who became a breakout star after starring in "90210" and "Degrassi: The Next Generation" used her platform to hush the negative feedback that some were spewing on her social media pages. Grimes took to Instagram and shared some heartbreaking truths about getting older in a culture whose expectations are sometimes unrealistic. She penned, "'She aged terribly'...is something I've heard about myself anytime I post a nostalgic clip from my past life as a TEEN actor. Thing is... I'm just... aging. I'm nearly 34 years old with 2 kids, what the hell do you expect?!" Grimes continued, "I think transparency when it comes to beauty standards is more important right now than ever before... In a world that tells you you look like s*** if you don't chemically/surgically alter your face/body and shames you for being 'fake' while glorifying your appearance when you do... it's tough out there, man."

Eight days later, Grimes explored the topic further, this time urging her followers to contemplate how they respond to posts. "Words matter," she wrote on Instagram. Visibly emotional, the mother-of-two went on to lament how some people lack compassion without considering the mental health of the person they're criticizing on social media. Grimes reminded her followers that we are ignorant of what someone else is going through mentally or behind closed doors. For the record, Grimes has years of experience in dealing with her own well-being.

Shename Grimes-Beech revealed that she had prenatal depression when she was pregnant with both her children. She said that she had been prepared for postpartum depression, but when she started experiencing symptoms before the birth of her babies it came as a surprise. Grimes then went on to explain that she had been dealing with her mental well-being for a long time. She told The Bump, "I've had anxiety my whole life. I'm a very high-strung, anxious person. I'm very go, go, go — I need to do more and more and more, and my mind races." Grimes was evidently proactive in prepping for the aftereffects of giving birth, but wasn't expecting to deal with the condition beforehand.

As if dealing with internet bullies and anxiety is not enough, the "Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas" actor is currently navigating life with ADHD. Taking to social media, Grimes shared a funny Instagram video about how she becomes distracted while trying to work. Becoming more serious, she then wrote, "I'm FINALLY starting my journey to attempt to get to the bottom of the way my brain works so I can manage it better. The overwhelm I battle most days because of behaviors and patterns largely associated with ADHD is HARD WORK and though there's a lot of ambiguity in this department from what I've come to learn when researching paths to a diagnosis, I'd love to just finally understand myself a little better." 

Shenae Grimes-Beech's introduction to motherhood was not for the weak. She and her husband, Josh Beech, appeared on their YouTube channel and shared that Bowie Scarlett's birth plan went awry in 2018. Grimes stated, "At a certain point in labor, my body basically started working in reverse. Instead of dilating, I was swelling, and there would have been no way for baby to make her way out safely into this world." So, when Grimes had her son, Kingsley Taylor, she did not want to be blindsided again and opted for another cesarean birth. She said, "I was very underprepared for that moment [of having a C-section with Bowie] mentally. I don't want to go through that again." This time around, she wanted to be in control of the situation as much as possible.

Grimes has also discovered that motherhood can be overwhelming at times. When she celebrated her 34th birthday, the star revealed that she was on a personal journey after having her children. She penned, "I've spent much of 33 navigating self-(re)discovery after babies and in recent months have slowly but surely begun finding her in this season of 'matrescence', [sic] as I've come to know it." Grimes is prioritizing herself again after spending so much time taking care of her children, and she wants to share her experience with others. She told The Bump, "There is just a natural connection because you're part of the same club."