This May, Demi Lovato posted bikini photos of herself on vacation in Bora Bora. Those are above and at the bottom of this post. It looked like a great vacation and I like seeing her doing well after her close call and rehab stay last year. The photos didn’t look very edited or filtered, but that’s so common now that it’s hard to tell. Yesterday she posted another photo from that series where you can see a little cellulite on her thighs. It looked like harsh lighting is all. It wasn’t filtered or airbrushed, and she still looked sexy as hell. She was self conscious about it though and wrote that she’s tired of being ashamed of her body and wanted to work on her self acceptance. Here’s that photo and I’ve pasted what she wrote below it.
This is my biggest fear. A photo of me in a bikini unedited. And guess what, it’s CELLULIT!!!! I’m just literally sooooo tired of being ashamed of my body, editing it (yes the other bikini pics were edited – and I hate that I did that but it’s the truth) so that others think I’m THEIR idea of what beautiful is, but it’s just not me. This is what I got. I want this new chapter in my life to be about being authentic to who I am rather than trying to meet someone else’s standards. So here’s me, unashamed, unafraid and proud to own a body that has fought through so much and will continue to amaze me when I hopefully give birth one day. It’s such a great feeling to be back in tv/film while not stressing myself with a strenuous workout schedule before 14 hour days, or depriving myself from a real birthday cake rather than opting for watermelon & whip cream with candles because I was terrified of REAL cake and was miserable on some crazy diet shit. Anyway, here’s me, RAW, REAL! And I love me. And you should love you too! Now back to the studio.. I’m working on an anthem.. 🙏🏼🙌🏼🤷🏻♀️ also. Just so everyone’s clear.. I’m not stoked on my appearance BUT I am appreciative of it and sometimes that’s the best I can do. I hope to inspire someone to appreciate their body today too. 💗 #nationalcelulliteday #celluLIT 🔥🔥🔥
It’s the editor in me but I’m annoyed with people constantly using “literally” wrong. (See also: Jeremy Renner.) At least in Demi’s case she used it correctly in an Instagram story in which she thanked people for their support after she posted this:
Demi also shared photos of fans who have posted themselves in unedited bikini pics and she posted video of her sweet dog licking her neck! That’s adorable and it’s still available in her Instagram stories as of this morning, Friday.
She looks gorgeous and if she didn’t have this explanation I would just see the photo and think “damn, work it.” One of my Instagram friends who is quite beautiful posted a photo of herself having fun at a party with a story of how self conscious she was of her arms. I would never have noticed her arms! She looked amazing and so does Demi. Why are we so hard on ourselves? I do this sh-t to myself over three pounds of weight gain, it’s ridiculous. I really like what she said about being authentic and loving and being herself. This makes me wonder if she saw Lizzo’s recent Elle interview and was inspired, because she said something similar about self love.
Also, I can’t really verify if national cellulite day is a thing because there are no google results and the hashtags on Instagram came after Demi’s post. Maybe she’s trying to make it a thing. I’m also here for celluLIT! Can we get some more music from Demi already? It’s been too long.
I hope she can – with therapy, true friendships, and self reflection-truly over come her addictions…and learn to truly love herself. This looks like a step on that path…
The more you exercise, eat well, meditate, and breath, the more you realize how much the construct of ourselves is just that. But its hard to learn in your teens or 20s especially i imagine if you are a disney star…I wish her well
Yeah, it sucks that there’s so much fear and loathing around cellulite, something about which we have pretty much zero control over. Even the thinnest, fittest person can have it. I remember my mom and her friends in the 70s, wearing short shorts and halters and not giving a rat’s ass about cellulite. The expectations for a impossibly smooth, toned and sculpted body clearly came after that era. It would be nice to think of cellulite as something normal, like freckles.
I’m glad Demi is healthy and happy.
I agree with everything you said.
No amount of exercise and lifting ever made my cellulite disappear. I was a fast track runner so pretty ripped up in my body’s lower part but cellulite has always been there.
I was 10 the first time I noticed it in my thighs.
I think I was a teenager when I noticed my cellulite, and I was thin. My mother had it.
It’s a secondary sexual development characteristic for women, that’s why. Our bodies purposefully store fat in an arrangement different from that of men’s because we need backup in case of limited resources during pregnancy. It drives me up a wall how often this is left out of biology/anatomy classes in order to terrorize women into abusing their bodies into unnaturally thin shapes. It’s literally all genetics.
I’m in my 50s, and remember distinctly when magazines not only “touched up” but accelerated to full smooth ‘shopping, every inch of skin like plastic. I personally took it as artistic license, but really, it changed how women spoke about themselves. Women have been victims of marketing, I’m not sure it was intentional, but it happened and I distinctly recall the transformation.
The problem is that there is so much $$$$ in the “beauty” industry and it’s all about aspiring to be “perfect”. For every kardashian pushing that and makings billions from it, we need 20 Demi’s and Lizzo’s advocating for self love and acceptance. The beauty industry machine will continue to advertise and bombard us with unrealistic ideals so that they can $ell us “solutions”. We need more public figures to step up and call it out.
I sometimes wonder whether people really do accept their body or whatever if they feel the need to spotlight, share, and talk about it?
Most of the things I have accepted about myself have become background noise because I am no longer thinking of them – like a pic on the beach would just be me and not my cellulite because i’d never think of it.
But how often do you have to worry about walking past the magazine stand and seeing your cellulite on the cover?
I do understand for celebs they have to own it and be on top of it or be forever shamed for it. There’s gonna be idiots shaming anyway, but this gives people some agency.
Maybe that’s true but many celebrities seem to have the ability to avoid the spotlight and avoid the paps if they choose to.
I totally know what you mean because I’m the same but I think it might be different for celebs? They have huge fanbases that they share a lot of their lives with. They are constantly under the spotlight and probably feel like every perceived flaw is magnified. Maybe for celebs this is their way of getting past it. Just getting it out in the open so they don’t feel like they have to pretend anymore?
I think when your entire identity and self-perception is tied to this perfect image that you project to the public, in order to undercut that you have to be honest with the public.
Yea the obsessive online posting of bikini pics is all about seeking external validation. With or without cellulite. It all looks so sad and empty to me. Girl just be happy with your life and get off social media.
Yeah, that’s what I think too. Idk if we can really call it “acceptance” if you need other people to approve of your cellulite.
I think it’s clear that she’s working on accepting it… This is someone with an eating disorder history. Not a normal relationship to her body. And it’s harder for a public figure who is photographed and filmed for their job and has those images scrutinized by the public. I mean, I am very accepting of my body and I’m not on social media at all, but if I Had to be on TV or something, out would probably bring out all kinds of insecurities. Why? The patriarchy. The internalized misogyny.
I strongly believe photoshop alteration of human bodies should be banned.
Cellulite and stretch marks are found on real, non plastic bodies. Young girls need to know this and recognize that professional photos are always retouched. Thanks for keeping it real, Demi.
Amen, FHMom! I don’t know much about this girl (wrong demographic), but I like these photos. Those sunnies, though…mmmm…no protection.
I’m not a fan of Demi and I know some people will mock her for acting like posting these beautiful pics of herself is “brave” but honestly, if you’ve struggled with an ED like she has, you know how hard it is to post a photo like that. I’m feeling anxiety even thinking about it. She looks incredible though and I’m happy she got the support from fans and others.
Exactly. There was empathy and encouragement when Justin Bieber talked recently about growing up in the public eye. Demi experienced that plus the extra carp that comes with existing publicly while female. The early excess and access combined with all the misogyny from any and every is probably quite the mindfuck, especially before one’s brain was fully developed.
She looks great and I just hope she’s healthy. I don’t know why I have a soft spot for her, but she was obviously f*cked up by a childhood in that monstrous industry.
One of my biggest annoyances is the misuse of the word literally. Makes me bonkers.
Regarding Demi, I’m rooting for her.
It’s sad to think about Demi in Bora Bora with good friends,a place she loves,knowing what struggles she’s overcome recently,and such talent and beauty-and thinking about not liking her body.We all do or have done some version of this though,at some point and I’m glad she’s posted unedited photos it can really help the younger generation of girls/women to accept themselves as they already are.Beautiful pics Demi ❤️
She had an ED though, like I had. I doubt everybody has ‘a version of it’.
I went from deep self loathing and seeing myself fat when I was a skeleton in the throes of anorexia to accept me as ‘bearable’ with 40 pounds more on my body.
My mum used to say “no matter what people say, you have your own twisted mirror”. I think it is true for many who suffered from an ED, you just bear your body rather than really loving it.
Hope I didn’t offend @star,I’ve been through ED in my teenage years and saw myself as fat when thin,and getting healthier after having my daughter was so empowering,but it didn’t and doesn’t stop the voices inside my head of too fat,too this too that.It requires constant self love and self acceptance and loving yourself at various stages of life. I’m still trying at 43…
So when I say some version of it, I mean we all have our insecurities and that internal voice-some much worse than others.
I’m sure you’re beautiful with 40 pounds more,and I applaud you for talking about it,and I agree with your mom’s words,very true.
@spicecake38
Awwwww Don’t worry, I was not offended. I know what you mean, many of my female friends in my teenager years had the same issues (plus we were all bullied at school), but in some people it became an ED, in others it was simply dieting.
I am exercising and I feel healthy, that is the best I can do (I am nearly 50). However I tend not to stay in front of the only mirror in the house as it causes me serious problems. After 25 years and lots of therapy I am still terrified I could fall back on my ED.
So posting terribly unflattering photos is a thing now ?
Though honestly it’s just the lighting , her body is pretty great ..
F–k off. Yes it’s a “thing” for people who are tired of worrying about whether their lighting or swimsuit is flattering and whether they should be ashamed to be seen.
That’s what therapy is for, not instagram.
@Hikaru
What an insensitive comment. I have been through many years of therapy and any time I had to post an undoctored picture of mine on Facebook I was going into paranoia anyway, so much that I stopped posting them. She is a singer and exposed to much more scrutiny than ordinary people.
Your therapist would have advised you to stop taking photos of yourself right away to begin with because it escalates the problem in people with body issues. I’m sorry it took you years to become medically compliant but it is really not anybody else’s fault.
Demi is doing everything wrong with these stunts and it will only backfire on her.
” I’m sorry it took you years to become medically compliant…”
I’m sorry you are an asshole whose comments don’t deserve to be read. You are making assumptions about someone else’s medical care and the advise they may or MAY NOT have received. You’ve shown yourself to be a shit person. Way to go!
lol there is a lot of un-sugar-coated truth in some of these comments. But people will get offended by any and everything these days.
@Hikaro – Seriously?
For one, no good therapist is going to tell someone that the best way to overcome an issue is to avoid facing it. I’ve been through years of therapy, and what helped me was doing things that made me uncomfortable and reframing my perspective about them.
For another, your comments are just plain rude and insensitive.
I deeply appreciate Demi doing this. However, my first thought was that she’s probably seen or heard something Lizzo has been saying or doing for as long as she has been being interviewed and that’s part of what inspired or gave Demi the confidence to do this herself. If that was the case, then I wish she’d have said that. I need for black women to be getting ALL of their props for their contributions to the culture and the movements that emerge from them. Because black women’s badassery is so often coopted by white women with zero acknowledgement and that isn’t okay.
Um, white women have been dealing with and showing pics (authorized or not) of their cellulite for a long time. They have done these “brave” pictorials for a long time.
Not sure what this has to do with giving black women props?
I agree with @Yup,me actually. The Kardashians are the biggest symptom of how black women have been stretching the notion of what is sexy and what is not with far more openness and self-acceptance than white celeb women as far as I see it: Beyoncé and Rihanna come to mind immediately. It’s not a dig – and honestly why see it that way? As a white woman I have been learning a lot with my fellow black friends about sensuality, self-love and acceptance of all kinds of body – I grew up during the heroin chic years, so… much much to learn. If anything, the Kardashians are destroying black female culture because they are providing a twisted, artificial, appropriative and derivative version of it.
My son told me yesterday that in his generation being white is seen as a bad thing and that sexy is black (his words not mine – he is a Londonder 18 year old kid, who added, ‘I’m ok with that’). I am not saying that there aren’t pressures of looking a certain way in the black culture but they are far healthier as far as I’m concerned than the starving trend we’ve been having for far too long.
lol the literally comment
I felt the same way about people using the word EPIC! when describing the most mundane things lol
I have become a master at dressing for areas I’m self conscious about. I have been through pregnancies, surgeries, weight loss, weight gain, even more weight gain… I am a scarred, stretch marked, wobbly mess – but I have been sewing since I was a child and alter everything I wear to fit perfectly and conceal/compliment. Combined with amazing undergarments, it’s the fabric version of photoshop! I would love to say I am comfortable with myself but I am not. I could not post an unedited photo of myself in a bathing suit like Demi, who is stunning in every photograph. I want my daughter to see what real , unedited women look like, so long as it’s not me. Surely my own mindset is part of the problem.
I mean… I still see photos of myself as a sort of violent thing. We always look at ourselves in a very twisted way. Just a handful of people are photogenic – we are far prettier in life, moving, than frozen on a single pic. Of course, when I see photos of 10, 15 years back I find myself healthy and beautiful. It’s just the picture someone took 1 day ago that I find terrible, Knowing that, I sort of let go. I know I’ll find photos of me beautiful when I’m an old saggy granny. Letting go is really a wonderful thing and I hope to master it more and more, with a touch of good sense here and there: like you say, good tailoring and clothes that bring out the best.
The only thing I hate about the pics- those teeny tiny sunglasses.
The more women who stop editing their photos and start showing their true bodies, the better. For instance, I’m a little overweight, but not outrageously so. I’d like to lose 15 lbs., but I don’t hate my body or anything. Yet it wasn’t until recently when I watched a YouTube video of vlogger girls more my size trying on trendy outfits at different stores that I realized those outfits aren’t just for stick thin models. They’d look good on me, too! There aren’t enough examples of average-sized women out there, and it makes girls feel like freaks if they’re not model-thin. It’s sad.
A lot of people make naturally thin women feel like freaks too.
A thing I’ve noticed with the more discount brands here (so ones that often cater to younger buyers) is that they and more and more likely to have a range of body types modelling the clothes online. So you might look at a dress and open it up and it will be show on a model with a larger size, and you click through and they’ll show it on a thinner model, or vice versa.
Took them long enough but they’ve started to figure it out.
That’s EXACTLY how my legs look. Thank you, my dear, for the courage to show what is real.
Her soul is so beautiful!
When I got married, the photographer was constantly trying to drape my veil over my “big arms.” I didn’t know or think I had big arms!
I’m a lean backpacker who also runs and bikes for fitness. I’ve hiked 15 miles with a 40 lb backpack in steep terrain above 12,000 feet. I have cellulite. Given what I ask of my body and what it has done for me (on top of producing and feeding 2 healthy children) it would be monumentally stupid of me to dislike it for having cellulite. This society has taught us to value what our bodies look like, rather than what they can do and women’s bodies are freaking amazing.
Yep. Marathon runner, size zero here. With cellulite. Not sorry about it. Three beautiful children came out of this body. Let’s focus indeed on what our wonderful bodies can do, such as giving the magical gift of life, or climb mountains (literally, as some would say 🙂 )
*high five* 😀
Exactly! It was after a really grueling hike straight up a mountain (really read the topo map wrong) that I realized that I liked my big calves! That’s what got me up there. And now that I’ve had kids and things are a little more jiggly than they used to be, I’m fine with it because I’m aware of how damn amazing this body is, no matter what it looks like!
What a world we live in where a woman is getting praised for “allowing” people to see her body in it’s natural unphotoshopped/unfiltered state. Our society has really hit a new low.
Right?! Especially someone as gorgeous as Demi, talking as if she had a deformity of some kind.
You think this is a new low?
With regards to the fact we no longer know what a real human body looks like and when someone “dares” to show us we congratulate them because “bravery” lol yeah new low.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but Demi is exhausting. She’s obviously extremely troubled, but there’s a point where I just want to tell her to just STOP. Stop looking for validation on the internet. Stop teeing yourself up for criticism. Stop.
Right?!? Why can’t she just shut up and put on a burka and live in a hole. Feeling yourself enough to display your body is GROSS and SELFISH. Being emotionally open about your struggles with E.D. is soooooo attention-seeking. /s
I can’t tell you since having my kids how many times I have avoided fun things because ‘cellulite and not being fit enough’. I HATE IT. I’m not a large person, 6 dress size, but my legs have cellulite after giving birth and I’m not use to it. I’m trying. I don’t want to miss out on life and fun memories because of something so dumb yet here I am. Please don’t feel bad for me, LOL, I am fine I just need to get over it. I never had to try to be fit ever…until having my two babies back to back. I’m SO PROUD of my body and grateful for two healthy, happy humans that it gave me!!!!!! I recently started working out and I feel, mentally, so much better. I’m slowly gaining my confidence back…and it feels good. I also got on great anxiety meds that give me zero side effect and work wonders for my mental health. I was in a postpartum fog for so long I didn’t even feel like myself.
I wasn’t even sure I was going to post this but I’m going to.
@HeyThere! Sounds like you’re sorting things out the best way you know how to. You’ll get there. I don’t even need to know you to determine that YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL 🙂
RICE, wow, thank you for the kind words! You are clearly an amazingly beautiful human! Everyday I have to wake up and choose HAPPY! I’m the only person responsible for my happiness.
I’ll be 42 in a few days (#VirgosRule) and I’ve got cellulite on my legs, dimples on my ass cheeks, stretch marks on my hips, back of knees and boobs, and a stomach that’s almost as bloated as Drumpf’s ego. But I wear a 2-piece at the beach and shorts at home (I live in the Caribbean) because I don’t give a damn about society’s misperception of “beauty standards”. I exercise almost every day, I eat as healthy as possible (results of my annual medical check-ups are normal) and my mental health got a AAA rating from Standard & Poors. This is all to say that I’m here for Demi’s sharing of her unedited photos and her acceptance of her mind and body.
Needing too much validation. In Bora Bora taking pictures for Instagram? That’s what makes me truly sad. Get off of social media. How can we ever appreciate anything if all anyone does is post it to Instagram? And then that has a whole other layer of making things perfect for those that consume.
Demi needs to focus on herself and not what the internet thinks. She has a long road to heal and this is setting herself up for heartache when she can’t see the beauty and acceptance in herself.
It has been years of her posting #bodypositive photos of herself in revealing clothes and provocative poses, you’d think by now she would have learned that’s not how self love or self confidence work.
Constantly shouting about how being more classy, monosexual, modest, and tomboy makes one better than The Other Girls, while also mocking health and other struggles doesn’t exactly scream Security & Maturity either. Or compassion for other women.
Good for Demi. Hopefully she has a nice, long period of good health, and I look forward to her new music. And if she or anyone else wants to wear outfits that are revealing, that’s fine too.
There’s no “like” button for your comments, so this is me making one.
“Like” @OtakuFairy
Thank you. ☺💖
Does the accepting of what you view as flaws by the internet make you accept it easier.
I don’t comprehend baring ur soul to strangers over the internet for acceptance.
What would Demi reaction have been if she got crucified by these strangers; how would it impact her life.
The neediness of people in general has been amplified by social media 100x
I might sound depressive but I hate this planet, we need a reset. Where is thanos when you need him.
Can we discuss the short-sightedness of the avengers instead of talking about cellulite something all human beings have.
Been waiting for those heptapods from Arrival.
lol I just watched this the other night!
Nothing is stopping you from leaving this comment section and going on a reddit thread about Avengers.
I would think staying sober would be her biggest fear, but whatever. I don’t know why she’s so worried about this. She has a nice figure. Being “thick” is treasured in recent times. Try growing up in the 90’s when stick thin models were the only women revered.
I hope this isn’t overstepping, but I’m worried if this post was overly impulsive for her, especially because she had been filtering the ones before it. I hope this was a decision she thought through because even though it might not be a big deal for some of us, it is for her. As someone bipolar with former substance abuse issues, I sometimes act impulsively to get validation/attention and regret it to the extreme later. I’m not saying that’s true in this case, just my two cents.
It’s interesting how many people assume women only post pictures of themselves for approval rather than to share a message or even to show off. As if the only reason women ever do anything is for male approval.
This weekend was the first time I ever walked around in a bikini and didn’t spend the whole time worrying if I looked fat. If I had social media, I would have posted a pic because I was FEELING MYSELF. I snapped a pic and wanted to paper it on every lamppost not for approval, but because I wanted to commemorate how dope I looked. I wanted to celebrate my @ss and there’s nothing wrong with that.
It’s all the same, it comes from a deep place of insecurity.
@Jules: That may be true for you personally, but that’s not true for all women. We aren’t a monolith which is fine, and for some the opposite is true when it comes to modesty. I’ll trust that the OP knows herself as a woman and her desires better than a stranger (male or female?).
@Caty Page: Exactly. I think another part of the problem is that people forget women can be visual, so any choice we make about physical appearance that takes us further away from the tomboy ideal and the modest woman ideal is seen automatically as something being done out of desperation for male approval. Also, we don’t live in a society that encourages believing women about their boundaries, wants, needs, and relationship with what’s forced down our throats as ‘respectability’- again, especially with those who are more girly or not firmly in line with ‘good girl’ ideals.
It’s basic psychology. Narcissism is an overinflated ego that stems from a deep emptiness and having no sense of self. All of these celebs are victims to it. If someone is truly happy with themselves and with their body, they have peace with that, and there is no need for the online attention seeking.
Like everything else in life, it’s about moderation. If a person has an obsessive need to post selfie after selfie constantly just for likes, then that may be what you’re looking at. But just posting pictures isn’t in an of itself a psychological issue, emptiness issue, or character flaw. Covering up and staying off social media can be shallow and an ego issue as well, once a person starts feeling a need to tell others about how that physical appearance choice makes them inherently superior to others. Lots of secure, balanced modest women don’t have that need when it comes to other women’s choices and are fine with a little diversity in this aspect of female life (this has all been kind of rude to Caty Page out of the blue, without even knowing much about her social media habits).
There’s also the fact that for some people and brands, social media and holding the attention of others is just part of the job. Demi has struggled with an eating disorder and her mother did too, so maybe for her, being able to present herself at work/to the public in a way that’s not all about looking ‘flawless’ is positive for her, while it would be just ‘meh ‘ for some of us. Who knows?Things aren’t always so black and white when it comes to any group of people.
I dislike her but I applaud her for that. I came to this thread expecting to see 1 millimeter of cellulitis but I found a real body instead. In a world where little kids are already photoshoped, this takes a lot of courage since she’s famous and the expectations of her looks are inhuman. I hope she sticks to that and find a little peace of mind.
She still has a really flat stomach which makes her look really skinny. I’m a active and pretty fit, but I still have a stomach pooch.. I couldnt pose in a bikini like that. I wish celebs would quit getting their stomachs lipo’d so that the rest of us with poochy stomachs could feel ok about our bodies too.