Demi Lovato is very unhappy with Instagram right now. The singer just called out the platform for allowing hateful ads on people's feeds, saying they can contribute to mental health problems like eating disorders.
Here's what happened. Demi saw an ad pop up on her feed that promoted a game that was fat-shaming in nature. She posted about it, calling the ads "bullshit" and putting the whole concept of the game on blast.
"Why is this fat-shaming bullshit on my feed?" she asked. "So many things wrong with this ad."
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She continued to stress that people "can be 'pretty' at any weight" and explained that the ads are harmful to anyone who has struggled with eating disorders in the past.
"This is absolutely harmful to anyone who is easily influenced by societal pressures put on us from the diet culture to constantly being told to lose weight in a world that teaches us to equate our value and worth with the way we look," she wrote.
To finish, she called on Instagram to keep these ads off the feeds. "With how aware people are becoming of mental health and mental illnesses, I expect you guys to know better," she wrote.
Following Demi's Instagram stories, The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Instagram has now removed the ad in question, with a spokesperson telling the publication: "We're sorry. This ad was approved by mistake. We reviewed it again and removed it from future delivery in people's feeds."
Demi has been vocal about her own struggles with eating disorders. In an interview with American Way magazine in 2016, she revealed that she was diagnosed with bulimia when she was 18. Her mother and grandmother also struggled with them, so not only does she know what it's like to have one herself, but she has experienced it through family.
Props to Demi for calling out Instagram for the hateful messaging. πͺ
Beat promotes awareness and understanding of eating disorders, also challenging inaccurate stereotypes and stigma. Find out more at Beat's website. Beat's helpline for those aged 18 and over is 0808 801 0677β, and there's also a dedicated Youthline for those under 18 ββ 0808 801 0711β.
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Emma Baty is the Senior Entertainment Editor at Cosmopolitan, where she shapes TV, movie and music coverage, writes celebrity profiles, edits stories across both print and digital, and generally obsesses over all things pop culture. Prior to this role, she worked as Cosmopolitan.comβs News Writer, writing celebrity news stories daily and covering live events like the Oscars. Originally from Grand Haven, Michigan, she currently lives in Brooklyn.
