Demi Lovato Denounces Diet Culture After Triggering Yogurt Shop Experience
Rich Fury/Getty Images for Teen Vogue Reading Time: 3 minutes
Demi Lovato called out The Bigg Chill Frozen Yogurt on Instagram after having a triggering experience in their store. Lovato, who has struggled with an eating disorder for years, denounced “diet vultures” and urges businesses to do better.
Demi Lovato Calls for Change After Triggering Yogurt Shop Experience
Lovato first posted on her Instagram story after visiting The Bigg Chill Frozen Yogurt in Los Angeles, Cali. over the weekend.
“Finding it extremely hard to order froyo from @thebiggchillofficial when you have to walk past tons of sugar-free cookies/other diet foods before you get to the counter. Do better please. #DietCultureVultures,” she wrote.
Lovato also posted a screenshot of the company’s response on her Instagram.
“We are not diet vultures,” they explained. “We cater to all of our customers’ needs for the past 36 years. We are sorry you found this offensive.”
SEE ALSO: DEMI LOVATO TO STAR IN COMEDY ABOUT EATING DISORDERS
“Not just that. Your service was terrible,” Lovato then replied. “So rude. The whole experience was triggering and awful. You can carry things for other people while also caring for another percentage of your customers who struggle DAILY just to even step foot in your store.”
“You can find a way to provide an inviting environment for all people with different needs” she added. “Including eating disorders — one of the deadliest mental illnesses only second to [opioid] overdoses. Don’t make excuses, just do better.”
Lovato Hopes to Change Harmful Diet Culture
After the initial confrontation went viral, Lovato made suggestions to The Bigg Chill Frozen Yogurt on how to market options for those who have diseases and health needs. She has been brave enough to share her own struggles with eating disorders and mental illness publicly in recent years and has been a voice for the voiceless.
In her four-part docuseries Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil, the 28-year-old got candid about her eating disorder struggles.
“Part of the problem is the sketches that they f***ing draw. Everything looks good on a sketch because it’s a 10 foot 90 pound model with a 5 inch waist,” she said. “There’s just so much pressure as a female in the industry to look a certain way and to dress a certain way and that s*** is the stuff that I used to look up to. That’s just really triggering.”
In her 2017 documentary Simply Complicated, Lovato opened up about dealing with anorexia, binge eating, and bulimia. For many, these experiences are hard to overcome. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, 9% of the world’s population are affected by eating disorders.
SEE ALSO: DEMI LOVATO’S TINY DESK CONCERT WILL LITERALLY GIVE YOU CHILLS
The organization also points out that 26% of people with eating disorders attempt suicide. Lovato has struggled with self-harm in the past and is now an advocate for suicide prevention.
The former ‘X Factor’ judge also addressed the constant gaslighting of women by the media who speak up for themselves after some on socially media criticized her for speaking out.
Lovato has proven that she will not be silenced by the haters or the media when she is passionate about something as important as this.
