Demi Lovato admits she was 'too critical' during her teenage years and still struggles with vision problems after her near-fatal drug overdose
Demi Lovato reflected on her teenage years, and what advice would tell give herself.
The Disney Channel alum, 31 — who uses she/they pronouns — told People: 'What I would tell my teenage self is I would say don't hold yourself to anybody else's standards but your own.'
Adding: 'And if your own becomes too critical, then look within yourself and try to find that self-love. I think that's really important to find self-love no matter what age you are.'
Demi began her career at age 10 with a role in Barney & Friends, and went on to become a Disney Channel fixture with her show Sonny With a Chance and the Camp Rock franchise.
The star has been open about her mental health and addiction, as well as her eating disorder.
Demi also survived a near-fatal overdose in July 2018.
Demi Lovato reflected on her teenage years, and what advice would tell give herself. The Disney Channel alum, 31 — who uses she/they pronouns — told People : 'What I would tell my teenage self is I would say don't hold yourself to anybody else's standards but your own;' pictured March 6, 2024 in LA
Demi began her career at age 10 with a role in Barney & Friends, and went on to become a Disney Channel fixture with her show Sonny With a Chance and the Camp Rock franchise; pictured in Camp Rock in 2008
Demi's near fatal overdose led to long-term complications, including partial vision loss and partial hearing loss.
She took OxyContin that she believes was laced with fentanyl, leading to her overdose.
Demi had three strokes and a heart attack while in the hospital.
'I was left with brain damage, and I still deal with the effects of that today. I don't drive a car, because I have blind spots on my vision,' she said in 2021 at a panel for her Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil documentary, via People.
'And I also for a long time had a really hard time reading. It was a big deal when I was able to read out of a book, which was like two months later because my vision was so blurry,' she added.
The former child star has previously spoken out about her eating disorder and distorted body image perception as well as treatment she underwent.
Demi (left) and Selena Gomez (right) on Barney & Friends
The former child star has previously spoken out about her eating disorder and distorted body image perception as well as treatment she underwent; pictured in 2008
'The very first time I went to treatment was when I was 18. I went for my eating disorder, and I went for self-harm and emotional issues. And when I came out with that experience, I was faced with the decision of either 'keep your mouth shut and not say anything' or share your experience strength in hopes that it will affect them in a positive way,' Demi said on NBC News NOW's Savannah Sellers.
Adding: 'I wish that I had somebody when I was 13 years old and having an eating disorder and starving myself. I wanted somebody in the public eye to say that "Hey, this is what I've gone through, and you don't have to choose that route.'
Demi noted that when she was a teen, young Hollywood was 'very, very, very thin' which negatively impacted her eating and her mental health.
Demi revealed to People that negativity on social media doesn't affect her the way it used to.
'My relationship with social media has evolved over the years from looking to the internet for validation to not looking at internet comments at all,' the actress said..
'If I happen to see something negative, it doesn't affect me the way that it used to. And I don't know if that's just with age or how many years I've been in the public eye, I just don't let it sit with me the way that it used to. It doesn't hold power over me the way that it used to.'
Demi recently became user and spokesperson for Xeomin, an anti-wrinkle injection.
The Heart Attack songstress told People, 'The campaign really resonates with me because I've always believed in making choices that are empowering and being true to yourself and owning the choices that help you look and feel your best self.'
Lovato defended the injection by adding, 'Don't listen to naysayers or whatever that may try to tell you how to do your own beauty routine. Just listen to what makes you feel comfortable in your own skin.'
For the pop vocalist, makeup and beauty techniques have always been around her as the industry's top artists were also on set.
She said, 'The best beauty tip that I've gotten from someone on set is to never sleep in your makeup. I never did that anyways, but to hear it over again was just really important and kind of stuck with me.
'I never sleep in my makeup. It doesn't matter how late the night goes, it doesn't matter if I'm up until the morning, I take my makeup off and I do my skincare routine and I'm very diligent about it. I'm just past that.'
'My relationship with social media has evolved over the years from looking to the internet for validation to not looking at internet comments at all'
Demi is currently engaged to 32 year-old songwriter Jordan Lutes who she started dating in August of 2022
Demi is engaged to 32-year-old songwriter Jordan Lutes, whom she started dating in August of 2022.
The pair met back in January of 2022 after co-writing her song Substance in January of that same year.
She was previously engaged to actor Max Ehrich back in 2020 before calling it quits shortly after.
