Photographed for InStyle by Carter SmithDemi Lovato didn’t have a good celebrity role model growing up…so she became one herself.
In the April cover story for InStyle, the singer opens up about both the rewards and the struggles of being someone so many young girls look up to.
“I grew up in the era of really, really skinny celebrities. That was the look,” Demi says. “And it was cool to be seen partying. Drugs were glamorized, and when I was 12 or 13, nobody [I looked up to] was talking about mental illness. Nobody was talking about eating disorders. Nobody was talking about cutting.”
She adds, “I wanted somebody for my little sister to look up to. I took on that role because I knew it was important.”
By being so transparent about her issues with substance abuse, self-harm, mental illness and eating disorders, fans feel they can confide in her.
“They show me their cuts,” Demi says. “I’ve had people come up to me [at a meet and greet] and say, ‘I was going to kill myself until I got this meet and greet.’”
“Sometimes I’ll meditate afterwards…It’s very heavy,” she says.
But her instinct is to help, which is why on her current Tell Me You Love Me tour with DJ Khaled, Demi has set up a pre-show therapy session for fans in partnership with CAST Centers, the treatment center she co-owns.
The tour heads to Demi’s hometown of Dallas, Texas tonight.
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