Demi Lovato Celebrates Her Stretch Marks in Candid Post About Her Eating Disorder Recovery

Demi Lovato celebrated her stretch marks and everything’s she overcome in a candid Instagram post.

The “Still Have Me” singer shared a lengthy message about her experience with an eating disorder alongside a series of photos of her curves in a black bathing suit. 

“I used to genuinely believe recovery from an eating disorder wasn’t real,” Lovato began her post on December 24. “That everyone was faking or secretly relapsing behind closed doors. ‘Surely she throws up here and there,’ ‘she can’t POSSIBLY accept her cellulite. Those were just a few of the things that I used to tell myself growing up.”

Lovato continued, “I’m so grateful that I can honestly say for the first time in my life—my dietitian looked at me and said ‘This is what eating disorder recovery looks like.’” 

Photos of Lovato’s stretch marks highlighted with gold paint accompanied the post, which the 28-year-old pop star explained as an exercise in self-love.  “In honor of my gratitude for the place I’m in today, this was a lil shoot I did by myself in quarantine this summer when I wanted to celebrate my stretch marks instead of being ashamed of them,” she wrote. “I started wearing actual glitter paint on my stretch marks to celebrate my body and all of it’s features.”

Lovato went on to say that despite what society thinks, her stretch marks “aren’t going away” so she might as well embrace them for all their beauty. 

Demi Lovato also assured fans that recovering from an eating disorder is possible, and her experience is proof. “Let this be a reminder to anyone who doesn’t think it’s possible: IT ACTUALLY IS. YOU CAN DO IT. I BELIEVE IN YOU,” she wrote.

“This year was tough.. be gentle on yourself if you slip up and remember to get right back on track because you’re WORTH THE MIRACLE OF RECOVERY. I LOVE YOU,” Lovato concluded her message, adding, “Last pics without sparkle edits—Instagram vs reality type shit you kno?”

This isn’t the first time Demi Lovato has opened up about her eating disorder this year. In a March 2020 interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, she opened up about her 2018 relapse and explained what led to her eventual overdose and hospitalization.

“My bulimia got really bad and I asked for help. And I didn’t receive the help that I needed,” Lovato told DeGeneres. “Ultimately, I made the decisions that got me to where I am today; you know, it was my actions that put me in the position that I’m in.”

At the time, she had another important message for viewers at home. “If you do go through this, you yourself can get through it,” Lovato said. “You can get to the other side, and it may be bumpy, but you are a 10 out of 10. Don’t forget it. As long as you take responsibility, you can move past it and learn to love yourself the way you deserve to be loved.”