Demi Lovato Asks Fans Not to Comment on Their Body in a Powerful Statement

Dancing With The Devil singer Demi Lovato — who recently revealed via their podcast 4D with Demi Lovato that they identify as non-binary and will be using the pronouns them/them — has taken to social media again to make a request of their followers.

Posting on Instagram Stories, they said “IDK [I don’t know] who needs to hear this but complimenting someone on their weight loss can be as harmful as complimenting someone on their weight gain in regards to talking to someone in recovery from an eating disorder.”

The 28-year-old pop star continued, saying that “If you don’t know someone’s history with food, please don’t comment on their body. Because even if your intention is pure, it might leave that person awake at 2 a.m. overthinking that statement…”

Lovato continued talking about the “loud ass eating disorder voice” inside their head. They concluded the statement by saying “I am more than the shell for my soul that is my body and every day I fight to remind myself of that, so I’m asking you to please not remind me that that is all people see of me sometimes.”

In their recent documentary, Dancing With The Devil, which premiered on YouTube, the pop star spoke about how they were 18 when they first sought professional treatment for their eating disorders, specifying that they were bulimic. The bulimia resurfaced before their near-fatal overdose in 2018.

For the last year and half, the Camp Rock star says they have been undergoing healing and “self-reflective work”, which lead to the revelation that they were non-binary, the best representation of the fluidity they feel in their gender expression.

Not only this, but it allows the singer to feel “most authentic and true” to the person they know they are, and the person they are still discovering.

LGBTQI+ organisations like Stonewall UK, GLAAD and Human Rights Campaign commended Lovato, congratulating them for stepping into their truth and thanking them for being a fierce advocate for LGBTQ folks everywhere.

The announcement follows news that they consider themselves to be pansexual — which is where you experience attraction towards people regardless of their sex or gender identity — saying on a podcast with Joe Rogan that they’re “part of the alphabet mafia [referring to the LGBTQIA+ community] and proud”.

Lovato also spoke to Glamour in March and hinted at the announcement, saying, “I know who I am and what I am, but I’m just waiting until a specific timeline to come out to the world as what I am. I’m following my healers’ timeline, and I’m using this time to really study and educate myself on my journey and what I’m preparing to do.”