Singer Demi Lovato says complimenting someone on weight loss might be 'harmful'

WASHINGTON: American singer-songwriter Demi Lovato, who last week came out as non-binary and will henceforth be using they/them pronouns, recently said that complimenting someone on their weight loss can be just as harmful as complimenting somebody on weight gain.

Lovato took to her Instagram story and wrote, "If you don't know someone's history with food, please don't comment on their body. Because even if your intention is pure, it might leave that person awake at 2 am overthinking that statement."

Lovato said that body compliments could sometimes feel great, but they could also leave the recipient lying "awake at 2 am overthinking that statement."

The 28-year-old singer wrote, "Does it feel great? Yeah, sometimes. But only to the loud ass eating disorder voice inside my head that says 'See, people like a thinner you' or 'If you eat less you'll lose even more weight,'. But it can also sometimes suck because then I start thinking 'Well, damn. What'd they think of my body before?'"

Lovato concluded the post by adding, "Moral of the story: I am more than the shell for my soul that is my body and every day I fight to remind myself of that, so I'm asking you to please remind me that that is all people see of me sometimes."

The post came four days after Lovato announced that they identify as nonbinary and will be changing their pronouns, telling fans that the decision came after "self-reflective work."

Lovato said they picked gender-neutral pronouns as "this best represents the fluidity I feel in my gender expression," and further added, "I'm doing this for those out there that haven't been able to share who they truly are with their loved ones."

The singer behind hits such as 'Sorry Not Sorry', 'Heart Attack' and 'Stone Cold' recently shared their personal struggles with mental health and addiction in a YouTube documentary, which followed their journey prior to and following a near-fatal overdose in 2018.