Demi Lovato is reflecting on how Hollywood’s rigid beauty ideals fueled her eating disorder as a young actress.
In a recent interview with TODAY’s Savannah Sellers, the actress, singer, and mental health advocate opened up about her recovery journey. When Lovato first sought treatment for her eating disorder, she was 18 years old and already a prominent Disney Channel star.
“I [got help for] my eating disorder, and I went for self-harm and emotional issues. And when I came out with that experience, I was faced with the decision of either ‘keep your mouth shut and not say anything’ or ‘share your experience strength and hope with another person in hopes that it affects them in a positive way,'” she recalled.
Lovato, now 30, chose the latter option, but it took years of suffering for her to even reach out for help. In fact, she believes growing up in the public eye had a “really negative impact” on her mental health, which eventually fed into her eating disorder.
“When you’re looking at images of people with perfect bodies, you start to look at yourself, and you start to pick yourself apart,” she said. “It’s hard to grow up in a world where that’s right in front of your face and at your fingertips at all times. I grew up in a period of time where young Hollywood was very, very, very thin, and that was the look.”
Luckily, these toxic standards of beauty no longer run Lovato’s life. The singer is doing much better now. She even told Sellers that she’s working on a “happy rock album,” which she’s found “kind of challenging” as someone who has historically struggled so much.
Lovato isn’t alone: Millions of Americans struggle with eating disorders.
Although most Americans don’t experience the public pressures of fame that Lovato described, eating disorders are still very common. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), about 9 percent of the U.S. population — or 28.8 million Americans — will have an eating disorder in their lifetime.
Eating disorders take many forms, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge-eating. Since these conditions jeopardize a person’s nutrition, they are among the deadliest mental illnesses. They are also associated with an increased risk of death by suicide, per ANAD.
Many people with eating disorders become fixated on their bodies due to our culture’s obsession with thinness. This is just one example of how diet talk and fatphobia can harm individuals.
Lovato also encouraged teens who are struggling to ask for help.
Thanks to celebrity mental health advocates like Lovato, more people are talking openly about eating disorders. In fact, in her conversation with TODAY, the “Sober” singer encouraged any teens who are struggling with their mental health to ask for help.
“I wish that I had somebody when I was 13 years old and having an eating disorder and starving myself. I wanted somebody in the public eye to say that ‘Hey, this is what I’ve gone through, and you don’t have to choose that route,'” she shared. “I want [teens] to know that talking to people and asking for help is more than okay and is absolutely what you should do.”
Throughout her career, Lovato has consistently spoken out about mental health awareness. She’s also been open about her personal ups and downs.
In 2018, Lovato nearly died after overdosing on heroin. The terrifying, life-altering ordeal galvanized her to talk about the dangers of drug addiction in Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil, her 2021 YouTube Originals documentary.
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