Demi Lovato calls out 'diet culture vultures' who promote 'disordered eating'
Demi Lovato is taking a stand against what she calls "diet culture vultures."
The pop star, who has been candid about her struggles with eating disorders, took to Instagram Stories over the weekend following a triggering experience at the Los Angeles frozen yogurt shop The Big Chill. Lovato shared that she was frustrated to see the shop carry "diet foods," such as sugar-free cookies, which she sees as helping to promote a problematic diet culture.
"Finding it extremely hard to order froyo from [The Bigg Chill] when you have to walk past tons of sugar-free cookies/other diet foods before you get to the counter," the 28-year-old star posted. "Do better please."
The experience has inspired the "Dancing with the Devil" singer to launch the hashtag #DietCultureVultures, which she intends to use to call out "harmful messaging from brands or companies that perpetuate a society that not only enables but praises disordered eating."
The Big Chill responded to Lovato's complaint in its own Instagram Story, telling her that they "carry items for diabetics, [people with] celiac disease, vegan and of course have many indulgent items as well."
Related: Demi Lovato says she's pansexual
Lovato, who first sought treatment for bulimia at age 18, recently spoke to CBS Sunday Morning about her disordered eating and addiction issues leading to her 2018 near-fatal overdose.
"I didn’t control any of my life at that period of time,” Lovato shared, adding, "every time I was in a hotel room my phone was taken out of the room so I couldn't order room service."
Speaking to Ashley Graham in February 2020, she admitted, "I’m tired of running myself into the ground with workouts and extreme dieting.
"I thought the past few years was recovery from an eating disorder when it actually was just completely falling into it," she told the model. "And I just realized that maybe my symptoms weren’t as obvious as before, but it was definitely an eating issue.”
The former Disney Channel star has also recently spoken out against "unrealistic beauty expectations" set by photo retouching and filters.
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