Demi Lovato Calls Out Horrifying Fat-Shaming Ad on Instagram
Demi Lovato has been slowly making her way back onto social media as she continues her recovery from an overdose back in July. But like the Lovato we’ve always known and loved, she’s not afraid to use her voice and platform to call out things she takes issue with—especially when it comes to body issues.
Today (January 4), she’s taking Instagram and the makers of a game called Game of Sultans to task for a rather horrifying ad that popped up in her feed. In the ad for the video, women are categorized as either “pretty” or “obese” with users apparently choosing what the women can eat—including a “controlled” diet of broccoli. “Why is this fat shaming bullsh*t on my feed?” Lovato asked in an Instagram Story. “So many things wrong with this ad.”
Um, yes. Yes there are.
PHOTO: Instagram/@ddlovato
She goes on to correctly point out that “you can be ‘pretty’ at any weight.”
PHOTO: Instagram/@ddlovato
“This is absolutely harmful to anyone who is easily influenced by societal pressures put on us by diet culture to constantly be losing weight in a world that teaches us to equate our value and worth with the way we look and especially anyone in recovery from an eating disorder,” she continued. “Especially when eating disorders are all about control.”
PHOTO: Instagram/@ddlovato
“So please Instagram, keep this bullsh*t off mine and others’ feeds who could easily be affected by this disgusting advertisement,” she wrote. “With how aware people are becoming of mental health and mental illnesses, I expect you guys to know better by allowing this advertisement to be allowed on your app. And shame on the game.”
PHOTO: Instagram/@ddlovato
It’s insane to me that this sort of game even exists, let alone that its distributor is allowed to advertise it on one of the largest social platforms in the world. The overt fat shaming is indeed incredibly harmful, as Lovato points out, and the categorization of women in this way is deeply reductive.
Many thanks to Demi for calling them out. Let’s hope this keeps other young women from being subjected to such a hurtful piece of media.