Disney actress Demi Lovato has hit out at the tv and film industry for possibly promoting an unhealthy body image. Demi believes that girls watching tv shows or movies could feel pressurized to look a certain way and that those responsible for making tv shows and movies aimed at a young age group need to be extra careful:
”I feel as if television and movies are now glorifying an unhealthy body image which puts a lot of pressure on young girls – and especially girls that are growing up and trying to find themselves. A lot of girls who are young are insecure, and they look to the media and what they see in magazines and everything else to see what they should look like. And I think that the film industry and the television industry should take more responsibility.”
Demi, who has previously suffered from an eating disorder and self-harming problems, has said that being bullied was what triggered her eating disorder. She encourages those who are bullied to talk about their experiences because bottling it up may lead to major problems like what she has been through:
”A lot of people ask me, ‘Do you think it’s because you started in the industry so young, or is it the pressures of being in this industry?’ And I say ‘no’ because my problems were starting when I was 12 years old, 11 years old. I was bullied when I was 12, and that’s when I got really sick and so it’s been going on for a quite a while now, but finally I’ve gotten help. As much as it hurts when you’re being bullied – always rise above it and also vocalise what’s going on. You can’t keep it inside. It’s really dangerous to let your emotions bottle up or to let nobody know what’s going on – you should really tell someone.”
