Demi Lovato Spoke About Body Acceptance In Her First Major Interview in Over A Year

At the 2019 Teen Vogue Summit in Los Angeles this weekend, Demi Lovato opened up about body acceptance in her first major interview in over a year. Lovato sat down with Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Lindsay Peoples Wagner on Saturday, Nov. 2 and touched on all things body acceptance, social media trolls, and brand new music. The “Sorry Not Sorry” singer’s candid interview comes more than a year after her July 2018 hospitalization from an apparent drug overdose. At the summit, Lovato reflected on her “introspective” year and how she learned to become more in tune with her body.

“I don't always feel positive about my body. Sometimes I do not like what I see," Lovato told the crowd. "I don't sit there and dwell on it. I also don't lie to myself. 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. 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.’”

She concluded, “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 reflected on her eating disorder and emboldened the crowd to embrace their authentic selves. She explained that when she learned to embrace her body and take some time away from the gym, her outlook had changed. “Over the past five years I've learned life is not worth living unless you're living for yourself,” she said. “If you're trying to be someone you're not, or you're trying to please other people, it's not going to work out in the long run.”

At the summit, she also teased a new album — one that would, however, come at her own pace. “I've really decided to take my time with things," she said. "When the time is right, I will put it out there. I am dying to release new music... but everything in due time."

With a renewed perspective on life and new music on the horizon, it appears as though Lovato is ready to take it all on. She told the crowd, “I've been through a lot and I genuinely see a fighter. I don't see a championship winner, but I see a fighter and someone who is going to continue to fight no matter what is thrown their way… That's what I see when I look in the mirror — a strong woman."