Demi Lovato Talks Body Acceptance and Recovery in First Interview After Overdose
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It’s safe to say the past year has been difficult for Demi Lovato, who survived an overdose last July. But in her first interview since, Lovato discussed body acceptance and recovery, and spoke about how she’s structuring her life for success.
“For so many years I dealt with an eating disorder,” Lovato said at the 2019 Teen Vogue Summit, in an interview with editor-in-chief Lindsay Peoples Wagner. “What I wasn’t ever open with myself about was, whenever I was in the gym I was doing it to an unhealthy extreme. I think that’s what led me down a darker path — I was still engaging in these behaviors. Embracing my body as it is naturally is why I took the month of October off the gym.”
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“I think it’s been a very introspective year for me,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot, been through a lot.”
And that includes being more authentic with how she sees her body. “We hear the term ‘body positivity’ all the time,” she said. “To be honest, I don’t always feel positive about my body. Sometimes I do not like what I see. I don’t sit there and dwell on it. I also don’t lie to myself.”
Yesterday was so fun.. thanks to Teen Vogue and everyone who came to see me speak 💗 #teenvoguesummit
A post shared by Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) on Nov 3, 2019 at 3:04pm PST
Instead of pretending that everything’s great, or forcing herself to try to fit a certain mold, Lovato has adopted a practice of being real. “I used to look in the mirror if I was having a bad body image day and say ‘I love my body, you’re beautifully and wonderfully made.’ But I didn’t believe it,” she said. “I don’t have to lie to myself and tell myself I have an amazing body. All I have to say is, ‘I’m healthy.’ In that statement, I express gratitude. I am grateful for my strength and things I can do with my body. I am saying I’m healthy and I accept the way my body is today without changing anything.”
Lovato also teased new music is on the way. “I have new music coming,” she said. “I didn’t say when — now I’m just teasing you. It’s important to remember that I am so cautious this time around of jumping back into things. I’ve really decided to take my time with things,” Demi said. “When the time is right, I will put it out there. I am dying to release new music … but everything in due time.”
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